Afterlife
by Reilly Black
Summary: When Stefan finds and takes an alternative cure, Elena and Damon consider becoming human and starting a family. Sinking into domestic bliss may be harder than they thought, though, as the supernatural continues to haunt them. Meanwhile, Klaus tries to convince Caroline that he is worthy of her love. AH, Delena, Klaroline and kids (OCs).
1. Decisions

**If you haven't read the prequel to this called _The Interim_, here's a summary of each character's history and vampire status:**

******Damon and Elena-**** Travelled for 2 years after she graduated high school and before she went to college. Damon works at some mystery business firm and Elena is studying literature and creative writing at a small liberal arts college in California.**

**Stefan- Found an alternative cure after 2 years of searching. Human and in Harvard undergrad. He plans to go to medical school and pursue his human dream of becoming a doctor. **

**Bonnie- ****Still a witch, but not an out of control one like in the current tv show. **

**Caroline- She debated taking the cure for a while due to her relationship with Tyler, but eventually decided to three years after Stefan did (about 6 months before this story starts).**

**Tyler- Still a hybrid, didn't want to take the cure and be a werewolf who had to turn every full moon again.**

**Klaus- Hybrid. Unknown whereabouts at this point.**

**Bonnie's Mom- She took the cure and is now a human/witch.**

**Originals-**** Daggered in a box (vampires), last we heard.**

* * *

When Elena had pictured her wedding as a little girl, she pictured the little church in Mystic Falls that her parents married in. The very few times she thought of it, it was a blurry watercolor of white and black and the happy faces of her friends as she walked down the isle- the basic wedding that she had seen once or twice from her parent's photographs. What she hadn't pictured was white sand beaches, exotic flora, parrots cooing in the distance and a priest with beads in his hair.

But Damon brought out her adventurous side. He made her want to challenge all of her preconceived ideas of what her life could be.

Elena sat next to the ocean, fussing nervously with her white sundress-style wedding dress as she fought the butterflies in her stomach. Bonnie and Caroline, decked out in brightly colored native-fashion bridesmaid dresses, plopped down on either side of her. Bonnie and Caroline had flown up with Matt, Tyler and Jerome in tow for a mini vacation and the very small ceremony.

Bonnie scooped up a fistful of sand in her brown hands, marveling at how clean and white it was.

"This is so cool. Screw Mystic Falls, you all better be ready for another island wedding when I get married." Caroline sighed, inhaling the salty air.

"It is beautiful here." Bonnie let the sand pass from her hands. "How are you doing? You ok?"

"Oh god, I'm so nervous! Thank you both for coming all the way out here, I really needed you guys." Elena burst out and hugged them both to her, reveling in the comfort of their closeness.

"You're our best friend! What's a ridiculously expensive plane ticket when you paid for… well, all of it. How did you manage that, by the way?"

"Damon and I won a ton of money in Atlantic city a couple months ago." Elena admitted, a little jittery. Using their vampire skills to win money wasn't exactly ethical, but Elena wasn't going to fuss over it when gambling itself was such a moral grey zone for her.

Caroline raised a brow and Bonnie frowned a little, but they quickly moved past it since they were where they were.

"Well it's understandable to be nervous." Bonnie said, bringing the conversation back to the original topic. "That's what we're here for."

"Yeah, but you aren't going to try to talk me out of it, right?" Elena looked between them.

"I'm done fighting your slightly insane romance with Damon." Caroline huffed, but then she continued, "I think he's changed a lot. I don't know if he'll ever fully deserve you, but I'm not going to try to talk you out of it."

"What Caroline _means_ is we know how happy you two are together." Bonnie clarified. "I think you're making the right decision." Bonnie had perfected her bridesmaid's duties.

"I'm not nervous about who I'm marrying- I love Damon, I love him so much… I can't imagine doing this with anyone else. It's just… you know, it's marriage! I think I'm just freaking out over the idea of it. It's such a weighty promise. I hope I can make him happy."

"You already do, Elena. That's for sure." Caroline rolled her eyes. "Damon's gotten, like, a zillion times nicer since you started dating. I think he might even hesitate to kill me if given the option to now. There's no doubt that he's happy."

Elena couldn't get over how beautiful it was here. The sun was getting low, reflecting reds and oranges off the waves. it was almost time. Damon promised not to peek at her until she walked down the isle, a strong superstition left over from his human days no doubt, yet she wished he would characteristically throw tradition to the wind and visit her. She really wanted to bury herself in his arms, smell his smell and feel what she always knew when she was in his arms- that they had and could make it through anything.

"It's time, isn't it?" Elena looked at Bonnie. Bonnie slowly smiled, then stood up and extended her hand. Elena took a deep breath and placed her hand in hers, letting Bonnie help her up off the sand.

"You look beautiful, Elena. Damon's gonna freak." Caroline giggled.

* * *

Elena's eyes fluttered open suddenly. Her heart was beating quickly and she felt something was very wrong. Damon's breath in her ear soothed her, and she turned to disappear in his arms, pressing her nose to his chest and breathing in his presence to steady her. _Why did dreaming of our wedding day make me feel this way?_ Elena wondered, closing her eyes and waiting for the surge of unease to dissipate.

Damon nuzzled the top of her head and drew his arms tighter around her, holding her to his chest. The gesture definitely helped, and in a few moments she was breathing normally.

Quietly, she disentangled herself from him and padded through the small rented house. She walked out on the balcony, the cool air hitting her suddenly and refreshing her sleep-addled mind.

She stood there for a few minutes, listening to the trees whistle in the wind and enjoying the dark beauty of the seaside. There were more buildings, but it was similar to the Bahamas. She could see the moonlight on the ocean less than ten blocks away, which she loved.

"What are you doing up?" Damon was leaning with arms crossed against the doorway, watching her. His bare chest was so beautiful in the pale moonlight.

"I just… I had a dream that woke me up." Damon took in her expression and then walked over to lock his arms around her and kiss her forehead.

"What happened?"

"Nothing bad. It was a wonderful dream. I dreamt of the day we got married. But then I woke up feeling so… wrong." Elena shivered. Damon's eyebrows pressed together. She realized abruptly how that must have sounded.

"I mean… You know what I meant. I'm sorry, I'm still not myself." Damon stroked her hair, searching her face.

"Why don't you come back to bed? I'll make you forget about these bad feelings." He teased, wiggling his eyebrows a little with promise. Elena smiled, amazed at how his lighthearted goading could lift her spirits.

"That actually sounds perfect." She kissed his tempting lips and let him lead her inside.

* * *

Winter break in California wasn't much of a winter anything. Elena missed the cold of Mystic Falls. Damon was off working at some big firm, and Elena spent most of her days at home alone, writing, cleaning or reading.

Elena put her diary down, reading over the entry from the day of her wedding, a resolution made. She reached for the phone.

She wildly considered hanging up in the moments that it rang, but just as she was about to, a voice answered.

"Elena!"

"Stefan, hi." She smiled at the note of surprise in his voice. She realized then how long it had been since they last talked.

"Elena, it's good to hear from you. How are you? School going well?"

"I'm doing really well. I love school. College is amazing. How is the prestigious Harvard? Are you tired of applying to Medical Schools yet?"

"It's hard, but good. I'm enjoying being alive, let's just say that. The applications are definitely a pain." Elena felt a twinge.

"Stefan, the reason I was calling… well, I guess I'll just ask. Do you still have the cure?" Elena's heart beat quickly.

Stefan was silent for a long moment.

"Why?"

"Well, I'm not sure about anything yet, but I just wanted to know if it was still an option."

Stefan was quiet.

"Elena, I don't have it anymore." Rocks filled Elena's stomach and she swallowed hard. "I gave what was left of it to Damon."

"What?" Elena breathed faintly.

"He asked me for it a year ago. He wanted to talk to you about the possibility of taking it when you were done with school. I really think you should bring it up with him though, this isn't my place." Stefan sounded very uncomfortable. Elena was still reeling.

"Yeah, I definitely will. Thanks, Stefan." She didn't really know what else to say.

"Keep in touch. Let me know what happens." Stefan hung up.

* * *

The moment Elena heard Damon's keys jingling in the door she sprung to her feet, a mess of nerves. She couldn't think about anything else all day.

"Hey." Damon closed the door behind him, the smile on his face dying the moment he saw the state she was in.

"I talked to Stefan." Elena said simply, her voice shaking. Damon set his briefcase down next to the door very slowly. "You have the cure?" Elena asked.

"Yes." Damon admitted, his eyes sliding away from hers. He pulled off his jacket and laid it on the chair. They stared at each other for a moment, then Elena walked around the couch to be closer.

"Do you really want me to take it? _You_ want to take it?"

"Elena, it's much more complicated than that." Damon said, frustrated. "These past few years with you have been more than anything I ever thought I could deserve, and when you chose to be a vampire with me, I thought nothing could be as perfect. But the more time I spent with you, living here with you, going to work like a normal person, watching you go to school… the more I realized that what I wanted with you wasn't what I thought I wanted when I celebrated your choice to stay a vampire."

Elena couldn't speak, she could only wait for these magical words to continue. Damon looked away, almost embarrassed.

"I want a real life with you. I want to be able to have kids. I want to make something with you that will last when we die, because we both know that immortals don't live forever." Damon confessed quietly, his bright blue eyes burning into hers.

"Do you really mean that?" Elena felt tears prickling her eyes.

"I used to think that I was too far gone from humanity, that I couldn't ever return to a normal human life. That's why I was so relieved when you stayed a vampire. Ecstatic. Now, we're going through the motions of a normal life and I don't feel out of place at all. It's completely natural. But it's empty… there's nothing at the end of it in our future. I just really want to have kids with you." Damon enfolded her in his arms and kissed her sweetly at the end of his speech.

"I can't believe this is real." Elena said, a sob choking her.

"Sorry it took me so long to say it." Damon whispered, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I know this is what you want, but you didn't know if I wanted it too."

He always knew what she was feeling before she did.


	2. Pregnant

**Time will skip around a bit. I could probably help you out and give you a time frame before each skip, but then I would be a nice writer who gives you helpful clues that aren't imbedded in the writing. Wouldn't want that. **

* * *

Elena hadn't been sick in five years. Now she was tucked in under warm covers and still shivering, sniffling and blowing her nose every five minutes.

"Don't get me sick." Damon frowned at her when she sneezed in his direction.

"I covered it with a tissue." Elena protested.

"You haven't been sick in roughly five years. I haven't been sick in about 140, give or take. I'm not entirely sure my body remembers what antibodies are." Damon edged backwards out of the room.

"That's a good point. Better start eating your vegetables." She blew her nose again before she noticed that Damon was about to leave. "Will you make me some more soup before you go?" Elena pleaded, putting on her sweetest face until it was ruined by another sneeze.

Damon grinned and disappeared beyond the door frame.

Elena picked up her book and thumbed through, trying to remember what page she had been on when Damon unceremoniously scooped her up off the couch and plunked her down on the bed, insisting she stay warm.

Damon came back in with hot soup after a couple of minutes, setting it on their bedside table.

"Sorry we don't have any trays. We're really not prepared for this kind of thing." He looked around the room as if he was realizing for the first time that tripping and falling on anything in there could now kill them. "I should probably go buy some first aid kits today." Damon mentioned as an after thought.

"This is the worst part about being human." Elena sniffed.

"Just wait 'til you get your first wrinkle." Damon chuckled. Elena sipped a spoonful of soup tentatively and then more assertively when she realized it wasn't that hot. She pondered his statement.

"Are you sorry we did it?" She asked, the question deceptively nonchalant.

Damon stood up from rummaging in the closet, extra pillows in hand. He sat next to her and slipped the pillow behind her head.

"Nope." A smirk graced his face, obviously seeing through her fake indifference. Then his expression morphed as he saw another sneeze approach.

She barely got the tissue to her face before her body shook with the magnitude of it.

"Oops." Elena sniffed. Damon looked grossed out, but he didn't sit back just yet.

"I'll be in the other room. Call if you need me." He tucked her hair away from her face, warily eyeing the used tissue, and left.

Elena's cheeks grew warm, wondering how they had gotten to this place. Even though she was pretty miserable on the outside, she had never been happier.

* * *

"DAMON!" Elena yelled suddenly.

"What?" Damon answered, alarmed. He set the papers he was working on down on the table and stood up to go find her.

Elena burst out of the bathroom, her every movement terrified. She ran a few paces towards him, then stopped, scrunching her hair in her hand. Damon wasn't sure how to react, at once wondering if they had a rat or spider infestation or something. She spun, turning to look at the bathroom like she might run back in. Then she twisted around again and ran the rest of the way to him, barreling into him at full speed. He still wasn't entirely used to his lack of super strength so he took a steadying step back upon impact. _Jeez, humans are so weak_.

"Damon!" Elena's voice was muffled with her face buried in his shoulder as she hugged him tightly.

"What? Are you ok? What's going on?"

"I took it! I took it." Elena said, looking up at him.

Then it clicked. Elena had been in the _bathroom._

"No." Damon said, unable to believe it.

"Yes." Elena nodded slowly, fear and what he now recognized as joy fighting across her face.

Damon lifted her up in a hug, unprepared for the wave of exhilaration that crashed down on him. He spun her around before he set her back on the ground. The terror quieted and joy won over when she met his eyes then.

He held her face in both hands, laughing from the sheer happiness. He kissed her lips with passion and intimacy, then kissed every part of her face that he could find. His hands trailed down to rest on her stomach, awed at the life now growing in it that was his and hers.

"But I still have two months of school left." Elena said.

"So? You won't even start to show for at least two months, you can finish. You just have to make sure you don't get too stressed out." Damon added. Then, after soaking in his own words. "Maybe you _should_ wait until after to finish." He reconsidered, looking very worried.

"No, I can do it. You were right before you freaked yourself out." Elena laughed. She sniffed, still a little sick. This was all coming on quicker than they had expected. Apparently they didn't remember how to use a condom properly. Damon hadn't needed to concern himself with one in a very long time.

He knelt suddenly, lifting up her shirt and placing more kisses on her stomach. Her hands nestled his hair in the way that he loved. He rested his head on her skin as though he could hear a tiny heartbeat he knew couldn't exist yet.

"This is real." Elena blinked down at him, her lovely smile a beacon for him. Damon grinned.

"Are you sorry we did it?"

Elena softened as she realized how ridiculous her earlier question was.

"Nope."

* * *

Elena was handling pregnancy pretty easily; a little morning sickness, the occasional wooziness throughout the day, but nothing too bad. Then the hormones started kicking in at about a month and a half after they found out.

He was sitting in the living room, going through more boring work papers when she walked by, stopped for a moment to look at him, and, just as he was going to say something snarky, sidestepped to plop down directly in his lap.

"Whoah…" Damon barely managed to lift his papers before they got crushed, assenting to her lips before commenting, "Careful what you sit on, Missy."

"Why are you so sexy when you're reading?" Elena squirmed in his arms, placing hot kisses down his neck. Damon was immediately disinterested in any sort of paperwork.

He worked his way up her shirt, recently enchanted with how her breasts had started to swell. He laid her back so she arched over the armrest as he fondled her. He was about to lift her shirt up so he could taste what felt so delicious when Elena's soft whimpers turned to little hiccups quite suddenly. Damon quickly withdrew his hand and pulled her back up so he could see her face better.

Elena was starting to cry.

"What's wrong?" Damon asked, stroking her hair. That usually helped when she was upset.

"I have no idea. My breasts hurt a little when you touched them, but I don't think that's why I'm crying." Elena half laughed, half sobbed. Damon started to crack up, but stopped immediately when her laughter turned to a death glare. Then, in another instant, she was crying/laughing even harder.

"I'm so sorry, I don't know what's going on. I mean, finals are two weeks away and I'm behind on my thesis, so maybe that's it. I can't stop, though, I really can't." Elena rested her head on his shoulder and twined her fingers through his, her shoulders shaking with sobs. He tried not to laugh this time, managing a kind smile while rubbing her stomach in a soothing way. She cried a little more before settling down.

"You know, this works on the cat too." Damon teased.

"Did you just compare your pregnant wife to a cat?" Elena hid her eyes behind her hands, exasperated but feeling better.

"Well, I like you a lot more than the cat and the cat never wins any arguments, so I think the comparison ends there."

"Damon." She growled.

"Elena." He said, playful.

"Shhhh." She rested her head against his shoulder again. In a few minutes she was asleep. Thinking it best that she should just sleep through the raging hormones, he carried her to bed and tucked her in under the covers.

He got in next to her and lay down. His _pregnant wife. _Elena Gilbert, the woman who had hated but enchanted him, and now she was his _pregnant wife._ Damon wasn't someone who believed in God, especially after all the carnage he had seen and caused, but if he did believe he would be thanking him. Instead, he thanked no one in particular while he watched her sleep and eventually drifted off himself.

* * *

"I never thought I'd be one of those girls who complained about this… but I feel fat." Elena stood in the middle of the kitchen, looking down at the recent bulge in her stomach. She smoothed her hands over her shirt, but it did nothing. Not that she really expected it to. The action was more of an idle wish.

"You aren't fat, you're pregnant. Don't ever let me her that from you, Twiggy." Damon shot her a hefty eye-roll. He was chopping onions on the table in front of her.

"So do you have the flight number?" Elena asked, her moment of insecurity gone, all business now.

"Yes."

"You know which airport? It's Long Beach, not Los Angeles."

"Yes." Damon answered patiently.

"And you aren't going to make mocking comments about werewolves, or any other sort of canine?" Elena said pointedly.

"I won't even point out a puppy if I see one, even if it's really cute and might make Barbie feel better. Happy?" Damon set down the knife and looked at her straight, bored and incredibly snarky.

"Just so we're clear." Elena crossed over to his side and took over chopping. "Why don't you peel those potatoes instead? Your eyes are watering."

"Are you practicing your mommy skills tonight?" Damon smirked, rubbing a tear out of his eye.

"I don't need any more practice. I married you. I'm pro."

"Aaaaaaah, that's a good one!" Damon pointed at her, a sarcastic level of amusement in his tone while he rubbed another tear from his eye and started peeling. Elena pointed back with a look that let him know she was only half-kidding. She just knew the moment Caroline got in the car he was going to start talking about the Timberwolves' chances in the NBA and Caroline would be in tears by the time they got to the house. He was very sensitive with her, but when it came to her friends, and Caroline especially, Damon was full blown, well, _Damon_. Caroline was not taking the break-up with Tyler well and Elena didn't think she could handle it right now. But Damon wouldn't let her drive since her recent dizzy spells had nearly caused her to faint unpredictably at least once.

Twenty minutes later, he grabbed his black leather coat from the coat hangers and left. Elena immediately texted Caroline.

_I apologize ahead of time. _

_I've met Damon. I know what I'm in for._ Caroline texted back. _I'm just excited to see you!_

* * *

He had told Elena he wouldn't, but he always managed to forget how annoying Blondie was when he gave his word to such things.

"I still can't believe there's going to be more of your genetics in this world. I love Elena, but that…just shouldn't happen." Caroline stated idly as she looked out the window.

Damon tried to get in touch with his inner yogi. _Buddha. Quiet lakes. Flowers. Birds tweeting._

"Just make sure you don't, you know, drop him on his head or something when you're pouring your bourbon. Set the baby down, then pick up the drink." Caroline scoffed, pantomiming her words.

_Kittens. Puppies. Oooh, puppies… No, Elena's pregnant and she will disembowel you if Caroline is crying when you get home._

Rage was Elena's new favorite hormone, so, with that thought in mind, he pushed the puppy comment back from the tip of his tongue.

"We're almost there." Damon said instead, teeth clenched.

* * *

"Elena! Oh my gosh, it's a baby bump! You have a baby bump! Oh, it's so adorable!" Caroline cooed, placing both hands on her friend's stomach. Elena patiently waited for her to finish.

"It's not a baby yet, Caroline. It's just a bump." Elena said, grinning when she recognized the murderous intent in him. If only she knew how he had suffered on that long drive.

"It's a _baby_ bump. That automatically makes it cute."

"Hi! I'm your Auntie Caroline, yes I am!" Caroline bent over and talked to Elena's stomach like it had ears. Damon didn't know how she put up with her. Elena wiped the water off her hands, finished with the dishes, while Caroline yammered at her stomach. Damon let loose an eye roll he had been holding inside for the entire drive, inciting adorable giggles from Elena.

"Come eat, Caroline. The food just finished cooking."

"Damon, do you think you could find me some wine? It's been a long day." Caroline tossed over her shoulder as she sat down at the kitchen table.

"I got it." Elena walked over and kissed his cheek sweetly, sensing the old vampire murderer rising in him. She went up on her tip toes and pulled a bottle of wine from the cupboard.

"I'm going to let you two catch up." Damon said in a low voice that might have resembled a growl before retreating into the bedroom while the two girls started chatting.

It was going to be a long weekend.

* * *

**I think I've been permanently harmed from the recent Delena events on TVD, thus the over-the-top cuteness. But you did say you liked the cheeziness in the epilogue of the last story, so I'm going to assume you don't mind my silent breakdown and rejection of all things upsetting for Delena at the moment. Plot will start to appear and I'm going to have to make them a little unhappy soon. Until then, don't forget to review, if only to mock my sappy writing :)!**


	3. Caroline

"Thank you for not upsetting her." Elena sighed as she closed the bedroom door behind her. "I'm sure that must have been… difficult… for you."

Damon was thumbing through _Call of the Wild_ for the millionth time in his very long life, lying on top of the covers still fully clothed. His beautiful eyes flashed over at her as he flipped the book down.

"Why is she here again?" Damon grouched.

"She's interviewing for a news anchor position in the area. And I wanted to see her, so no complaining." Elena pulled her PJs on, looking down wistfully at her slightly bulging stomach with a sigh as she tugged her tank-top over her head.

"Stop fussing over your belly. You're still beautiful. You'll still be beautiful when it's bigger than a freaking watermelon."

"I don't care what I look like. I care that my clothes don't fit anymore." Elena grumbled, only lying a little. Her tank top no longer fully covered her stomach and she was tired of that specific sliver of skin freezing while the rest of her was fine.

"Someone's been eating sour grapes." Damon eyed her.

"Yeah, well, I just had the worst conversation with Caroline." Elena hid her face under her arm after she lied down next to him so Damon wouldn't see just how upset she was.

Damon watched her in silence, waiting for her to continue.

"They broke up because Tyler couldn't handle her being human, and she couldn't handle him being a vampire. For one reason or another, they were just too different. He didn't want to change, because then he would be a werewolf who had to turn on every full moon again. Caroline was getting older and wanting different things like we were, and he stayed the same, emotionally and physically… they just didn't want the same things. They were together longer than we've been, and in the end that's what got them."

"Well, I can't believe it didn't happen sooner. It should have been obvious that that situation wasn't going to work out." Damon shrugged.

"Yeah, but when you go through what we all did together, you either love or you hate each other. I haven't seen much of an in-between. I just hope that they can find it, if there is one, because their friendship has really taken a dive and I can't believe how vicious they've gotten. And after a seven-year relationship!"

"It happens all the time, Elena. People get divorced after twenty years and fight like dogs. You just… you always see the best in people. Sometimes you forget about the worst." Damon said, matter-of-fact. His brutal honesty was the quality she most hated and loved about him.

"Not Caroline and Tyler." She whispered. He lifted her arm off her face, peering under it at her. He knew her too well at this point.

"Hey. We aren't going to end up like that. We're never going to hate each other."

"We did once." Elena was full of despair.

"Yeah, when I was a homicidal vampire with my humanity switched off. I killed your brother. I would have hated me too, if I were you." Damon pointed out. "But now I would never kill your brother. Again." He tacked on the last part with a face that would have made her laugh if she had not been so upset.

"They just turned on each other so quickly! He called while we were talking and some of the things they said they never would have before-" Elena was terrified. They were going to be parents. She didn't ever want that kind of conflict, especially not with a child involved. But if Caroline and Tyler, the cutest couple in the world, could turn into that mess out there, then who knew what could happen to them.

Damon wrapped her in his arms. She hugged herself to him, his warmth flowing through her.

"I don't know if it's possible to love someone forever, but if it is, that's how long I'll love you." He whispered in her ear. Elena was completely flustered. After six years with him, she still had trouble reconciling the arrogant, teasing and sometimes very callous side of Damon with the incredibly romantic side that he only showed to her. She leaned back, enjoying his serious and sweet expression before brushing a kiss over his lips.

"I know how you feel, Love."

* * *

Elena was everywhere: her smell, her sounds, her breath. He was completely lost in the euphoria of her.

Damon had just assumed that sex would be much duller when they became human, and he had accepted it as a consequence he would have to learn to live with. He was so wrong.

There was something fragile and vulnerable about humanity that intensified the sensations of lovemaking. He hadn't expected it, but the knowledge that there was the possibility of a child at the end gave it much more meaning. It was no longer a tool for pleasure, but a way to make something amazing and precious. The barest hint of fear of the unknown added a sweetness to it, an unlikely ingredient that was actually vitally important.

Many things were more intense as a vampire, but this, apparently, was not one.

Much to his relief.

He saw the same thoughts race through Elena's mind as he pushed into her for the first time since they changed back. They had been intimate too many times to count in the last five and a half years, but he knew she felt it too. This… whatever it was that they were doing... it was on a completely different level.

Elena's legs squeezed around him, and she pulled him down by the shoulders so their sweaty bodies pressed tightly together while she rode out her orgasm. He watched her lovely face as the familiar expressions of pleasure passed through. Then she collapsed against the bed, completely spent, her arms loose around his neck and her legs sluggishly unfolding from around him.

He nuzzled her chest and neck, inhaling the aroma of her skin. He wanted to press on more than anything, but he knew she needed a break. With great self-restraint, he pulled out of her still unsatisfied.

"Wow. That was…" Elena breathed heavily. "That was… different." She turned on her side to face him, her face flushed and her gaze still glazed over with fading lust. "I really don't mind if you want to finish too…" She said with an inviting smile. She scooted closer, pressing her chest against him and tangling their legs together. He happily enveloped her in his arms.

"I came twice already. I'm good for now." Damon said chivalrously, even though he wanted nothing more than to flip her over and plunge deeply into her.

She nodded sleepily, exhausted.

"Then I might…fall…asleep on….you." She warned him before she completely passed out. Damon grinned at the sight. He hadn't realized how much he had tired her out. They were both still adjusting to the reduced stamina that came with being human.

As he lay there in her arms, the full magnitude of the realization that they could actually make a baby now hit him like a train. The relief and wonder that accompanied that realization overwhelmed him. This was exactly what had been missing in them. This was the emptiness that had plagued him for over a hundred years. This was exactly what had caused him to drain the last drop of that nasty vial of milky liquid, just to be sure.

* * *

Elena knew she was a small girl, but she had never thought much about how slender she was until she got pregnant. Now she couldn't even bend over, her stomach was so huge.

It sucked. It sucked so bad. And as much as she loved Damon, it was still a little embarrassing.

"Who would have thought that you, of all people, would be the grumpiest pregnant lady." Damon mused as he picked the remote up off the floor for her. She glared at him and grudgingly snatched it from his fingers. She dropped to the couch with an 'ummph' and silently threw a fit that she caused the couch to creak. It _creaked. _The sound brought tears to her eyes, much to her chagrin, because the freaking hormones were worse for her emotions than when she was a newborn vampire. Or at least it seemed like it now.

Damon eyed her warily.

"Should I call Caroline? Do you need girl time?" Elena had been increasingly grateful that Caroline got that job nearby. As her pregnancy progressed, she found herself in need of an estrogen buddy to relate to. Caroline and Damon were even getting along a little bit. Occasionally.

Elena let her head hang back, reminding herself that she loved him dearly and that everything he was saying was very normal, even considerate. She was the one who was a total wreck.

"No. Baby, I love you, but could you do me a huge favor? Can I have the house to myself for today?" _So I can curl up and cry over how uncomfortable I am with a huge tub of ice cream, watching tv shows you don't know I like._

Damon looked at her blankly.

"Yeah, of course. Just call when you want me back." Damon stood up, putting his stuff together in a briefcase, and left.

Minutes later, Elena dropped the remote again.

* * *

"Eeeelena?"

"Caroline? Is that you?"

"Eeeleeeeeeeennnnaaaaaaaa…." Caroline sang.

"… Are you drunk?"

"I loooveeee youuu, Elenaaanananana!"

"Where are you?"

"I'm fine! I'm gooood. I'm just fine-good. I'm having a drink with this nice man, what's your name again? Steven. This is Steven. Hey Steven, say hi to my friend Eleeeeenaaa!"

"Hello?" A man's voice came on the phone.

Elena was speechless.

"Listen, can you come get your friend? She's wrecking my bar."

"Yeah, of course. Can you tell me where your bar is?"

She scribbled down the address.

"I'll be right there."

Caroline was a serious mess, nothing like the perfectly put-together control freak of their high school years. She was sitting at the bar, her cute mini skirt and silky blouse highlighting how attractive she was. Based on the many men playing pool and drinking while leering at her, it was working too well. Elena hurried to her side. Caroline hopped off her stool and hugged her the moment she saw her, crushing her in a sloppy, disoriented way. She tripped on nothing while she did so, almost bringing both of them to the ground.

"Elena, I knew you would come! You know why? Because you're my best best! You're the best! You're my best!" Elena supported her wobbily, asking the bartender, and likely the man she talked to on the phone,

"How long has she been here?"

"Too long. Here's the bill for the jukebox she wrecked. Make sure she gets it when she's sober." He said, sourly handing her a slip of paper. He noticed how very pregnant she was when Caroline tugged her coat open.

"Are you going to be ok getting her to your car? I could give you a hand."

"Yeah, actually, that would be great." She said, catching them both as Caroline swayed on her feet again.

They stumbled out to her car and loaded Caroline in. The bartender waved goodbye and headed back in.

"Caroline, what were you thinking?" Elena exploded. "You can't get that drunk, alone, dressed like that! In the middle of the day?! You're not a super-strong vampire anymore! What the hell is going on with you? Don't you have work tomorrow?" Elena shuddered to think what might have happened if that bartender hadn't been so nice.

"I thought maybe I could lure in a pamvire…" She slurred, fiddling with her lustrous blond curls. "I thought they could turn me and we could be together."

"What are you talking about?"

"A vampire, Elena! I want to be a vampire again! There, I said it." She shouted at the top of her lungs, suddenly angry. She slumped over in her seatbelt, head against the window. "Then Tyler will love me again..."

Elena looked over, pity surging through her. Caroline closed her eyes, a hand to her head.

"Oooh, I don't feel so good."

"No, Caroline, no! Don't-"

Too late.

* * *

"Barbie did WHAT?" Damon barked into her phone.

"It's my fault, I should have grabbed a bag before we left." Elena cringed, knowing that if she shifted the blame onto herself he would settle down. Damon hadn't yelled at her in eight months.

"No, it's definitely her fault." He growled.

"Can you just come out and help me with her please? She's a mess."

Damon stormed out of the house, his eyes shooting daggers at Caroline as he helped her out of her seat.

"Don't be mad! I'll pay whatever you want. I love you two." Caroline moaned and then giggled as they hoisted her between them.

"Stop talking, Barbie! Nobody understands Drunk." Damon scowled.

"Elena, your husband is a meanie! Why would you marry a meanie? Stefan was so much nice to you." Caroline whined. "I miss Stefan…"

"Jesus, Caroline, _stop_ talking." Elena glanced at Damon. He looked like he wished he still had fangs so he could bite her, or maybe that she still had fangs so he could snap her neck and get away with it.

They set her down on the couch. Elena grabbed a trashcan and left it next to her head.

"I have to go clean up my car." Damon glowered at Caroline.

"I'll help." Elena said.

Caroline moaned softly, her eyes closed. She was already starting to drift off to sleep.

"Why can't we be together, Tyler…? But I love you…" She mumbled.

Elena felt another wave of pity. She looked over at Damon. He wasn't looking at Caroline, but instead watching her with an unreadable expression.

* * *

**First season's drunk Caroline was so adorable and hilarious I just had to bring her back. That was back before she started cock-blocking Delena, when I thought she was charming. I may have merged her with the Nick and Norah drunk Caroline and am only realizing this as I write this author's note, since they are both blond and adorable and drunk and named Caroline. Well…it's written already. Also, just in case this was not clear, I am not condoning the idea that women who dress a certain way are asking to get raped. On a very separate note, I love my readers who review cause I know who the heck they are :D. So if you want me to get warm fuzzy feelings when I see your ID name on the followers or favorites list, review!**


	4. Naming

_2 months before….._

Damon rested his head against Elena's as action played out on the screen before them. Elena pulled the covers up to her chin and nestled more tightly into the crook of his arms. The couch was narrow, but she enjoyed trying to fit both their bodies onto it. Ah, heaven.

Then the main character ripped off someone's arms.

Elena grimaced, but she heard Damon's heart race with excitement.

"Oh god, you love this don't you?" Elena lifted her head to look at him. Damon smirked down at her.

"We don't have to watch it… we could watch-" He picked up her choice of rented movie and read the cover, "Hitch?" Damon's grimace matched hers.

"No, our deal is you torture me and I'll torture you. I'll sit through this horror action whatever you call it. _Then_ we watch Hitch." Elena rested her head against his chest.

"Well that's very sweet of you. What does the baby think of it?"

"She's not pleased." Elena said with a giggle, imagining that the baby would likely take her side on this one as she watched the main character pin someone to the wall with knives.

"Oh, did she tell you that? Do you two have a psychic connection now?" Damon asked as he stroked her hair from her face, amused.

Elena sat up suddenly.

"Damon."

"What?"

"Damon!" Elena was panicked.

"What?!" Damon sat up too, checking her over for something that could cause that tone.

"Something doesn't feel right. Oh… no, it doesn't feel right." Elena's eyes clouded with tears. Pain pierced her lower abdomen.

"What do you mean?"

Elena doubled over with a cry.

"Please don't scare me like that." Damon's head hung as they sat in the hospital, his hand tightly attached to hers as it had been all night.

"Sorry." Elena whispered.

Damon smiled weakly and stood up.

"Soda? Snack? We should call Caroline and make sure she figured out how to get Alaric to stop crying. It would be a record for him, but for all her resemblance to a

fifty's house wife, Caroline is just terrible with kids." He searched in his pant pocket for his wallet.

Elena knew she shouldn't say it, but she couldn't keep it to herself anymore. She had to tell him.

"I don't think she's going to make it." Elena could barely get the words out.

Damon froze, his eyes trained on hers.

"What are you talking about? She's going to be fine. That's what the doctor said."

"I don't think so…" Tears budded in Elena's eyes as she tried to communicate, without words, the horrible foreboding in her stomach. "I can feel it, Damon. Something's going to go wrong. Something bad is going to happen to her."

"Hey." Damon sat back down next to her. He kissed her hand and face. "Listen to me: she's going to be fine. Why would you say that?"

"I don't know… I just feel it. I can't explain it." She shrugged. Damon swallowed hard, his piercing eyes searching hers. He cracked a small smile.

"Look at you, such a fatalist! That's my job, remember? I predict doom and gloom and you tell me it'll be rainbows and unicorns. Which is what I'm telling you now. Now stop this crazy role switching." Damon clasped her hand in both of his, smiling at her very convincingly. "She's going to be fine."

Elena nodded and matched his small smile with hers, but she did not believe him. Not this time.

"You should just tell her." Stefan insisted as they sat on the porch smoking. Elena had not yet gotten home from her late-night graduate seminar. Neither of them was allowed to smoke around her, pregnant or not, so they were indulging.

Damon eyed him, drawing on his cigarette and exhaling slowly. He did not respond.

"I'm serious. This isn't like you to hide this from her. Actually, it sounds like something I would do. And _I'm_ even telling you that you should tell her."

"Yeah, well just wait until you have a pregnant wife. You're going to be ten times worse. She's going to be calling me every five seconds to get the truth out of you." Damon rolled his eyes.

"You really think Klaus is going to hide quietly in the shadows? That isn't his style, Damon. He wants to be feared. It gives him power. He likes for his victims to know he's coming. Whether you want her to or not, she's going to find out."

Damon sighed.

"She might. But the less stress I can put on her in the meantime, the better. For now at least I'm not going to tell her." Damon took a long drag. Stefan looked at him closely.

"Why? You've never been one to prance around anyone's feelings. You always tell it straight, especially to her. Jesus, I remember when she became a vampire you just said, 'you feed or you die'. No mercy, zero consideration." Stefan turned to face him, examining him even closer.

Damon frowned at him.

"Why?"

Damon stubbed his cigarette against the railing.

"There have been a lot more problems this time. She nearly miscarried two months ago." Damon admitted quietly.

Stefan was silent.

"She thinks she's going to lose the baby. She doesn't sleep well anymore," Damon rubbed a hand over his face, finally letting the worry out, "and she hasn't been eating like she should. I think she's worried about it all the time."

"Well that's exactly the opposite of what she should be doing if that's the case."

Damon shrugged.

"If I tell her about this, I don't know what kind of effect it will have on her. She's convinced something bad is going to happen, and Klaus is the perfect vehicle for that. After what Klaus pulled yesterday, she might even be right."

Stefan was quiet for a long time. Then he put a hand on Damon's shoulder.

"Maybe it's best to stay quiet about this."

"Well, gosh, if you think so, it must be the right decision." Damon smirked, but it was a little comforting. Stefan grinned at him and took another drag on his cigarette before he stubbed it out on the railing as well.

"So what are we going to do with these so she doesn't find them?" Stefan asked, looking at the still-smoking cigarette.

"I keep them in a box under the seat in my car." Damon laughed.

"Ah, domesticity." Stefan teased.

"Jealous?" Damon stood up and stretched. He was poking the bear a little.

Stefan eyed him, his smile fading a bit.

"Please. I get to ruin my lungs without anyone caring about it." Stefan dropped his cigarette in Damon's outstretched hand and walked inside to check that Alaric was still asleep in his crib.

Damon pulled out the bourbon and they had a few drinks before Elena arrived home. She didn't say hello, just trudged inside, dropped her bags and crashed on the couch.

Damon exchanged a worried look with Stefan.

"How was school?" Damon asked.

"Fine. I'm so tired… I think I'm going to take a nap." She mumbled. He could barely hear her.

"Why don't you eat something first?" Stefan prodded.

Elena lifted her head with effort and propped herself up so she could look at them over the couch.

"Are you my new OBGYN, Stefan? I think you have to graduate before you get to do that." She teased, her head resting on her folded arms.

"Come on, it's a good idea." Damon set his bourbon glass down, his insides squirming. Dark circles had formed under her eyes. Her skin was even paler than it had been yesterday.

"Naw, not hungry." Elena collapsed behind the couch again so they could no longer see her.

"You're always hungry." Damon said, trying to keep his voice light through the fear and anger that was coursing through him. It didn't help his nerves that Stefan looked so alarmed at her appearance.

Elena didn't respond.

Damon's entire body was beyond tense. He walked over and grabbed a blanket from the couch to cover her with. She smiled at him before she closed her eyes. Damon stood there studying her for a moment, then he met Stefan's gaze.

Klaus would pay for this.


	5. Blue Eyed

"Matt wants me to send more baby pictures. Jeez. Like I haven't sent him a million already." Bonnie laughed at the text while she sat with Caroline on the floor of the makeshift nursery, playing with baby Alaric. She didn't seem too upset about it, though, and she gladly made faces at the newborn and snapped his reaction.

"Ugh, I don't want to go back to work tomorrow." She pouted a little as she adjusted the angle of her phone-camera. She and Jeremy were catching an early flight home in the morning to get back to real life. Bonnie had recently graduated with a degree in business from Whitmore and now worked in human resources at an up-and-coming company in Mystic Falls. She had opted to studied the occult in her free time, rather than persue it as work as her Grams had. Jeremy was a dual manager at the Grill with Matt. Only one of them could come up at a time and Jeremy had the blood uncle status that Matt couldn't argue with.

"I know what you mean. I just want to play with this little guy all day long." Caroline said, wiggling fingers in front of Alaric's face.

"I wish you could both stay. I'm already sensing that Damon and I could use the help." Elena was pretty sore. She was sitting on a pillow on the comfiest chair in the house and it still wasn't enough.

"He seems pretty mellow so far, though." Bonnie said. "How is he at night?"

"I was so exhausted they put him in the nursery for the first night, so I don't really know. This will be our first night together." Elena swallowed hard. She was still pretty tired and she was hoping for one more night of good sleep. Hoping, but not expecting.

"He hasn't cried yet, so I guess he is pretty mellow so far." Elena pondered as she watched the little one. She thought she couldn't love anyone more than she loved Damon, but Little Alaric was definitely tied.

"Look at these tiny toes. These are seriously the cutest things I have EVER seen. And his little button nose. Elena, this baby has the most adorable feet. But…" Caroline dropped her pitched baby-talk voice at the end, almost serious. Elena waited.

"What?"

"It's just, it's a shame… he got Damon's eyes. The rest of him is adorable, but those eyes remind me way too much of his grumpy father."

Elena wasn't sure how to react to that. She could understand that Caroline hadn't forgiven Damon's abuse of and attempt to murder her so long ago. First impressions were hard to erase, after all. Still, he had done plenty to make up for it and prove that he was a completely different person. She'd even heard him apologize out of the blue a couple of months ago when he didn't know she was listening in. Maybe one day they would get along. Personally, the crystal blue eyes of little Alaric were a huge plus for her.

"Do you think he'll keep this hair color?"

"I hope so. I like it. But the doctor did say it might change as he got older."

Little Alaric's hair was a dark brown/black, somewhere between Elena's own hair color and Damon's near-black.

Jeremy walked in from the small patio where he was barbecuing, tongs in one hand.

"Hey, I'm almost done. Medium, Medium, Rare, right?" Jeremy pointed to them as he listed their orders. Elena had a lingering taste for blood since becoming human. Caroline had told her that this faded around the two-year mark for her.

"How's the little guy doing?" Jeremy asked, watching the feeble movements of Alaric as he lay on his back between the two girls, lifting his hand barely above his head, staring at his fingers with newborn awe.

"He's good. Still no crying. I think they got lucky with this one." Bonnie replied. She and Jeremy had dated off and on since high school, breaking up for many reasons that Elena couldn't keep track of anymore, the biggest being when she went off to college and he stayed in Mystic Falls, but they were still great friends in the in-betweens, unlike Caroline and Tyler. Bonnie had come to talk about Jeremy much the way Elena talked about Matt. Elena had a sneaking suspicion that Jeremy was starting to get frustrated with being stuck in the friend zone. He had been doing things to try to get her attention all weekend. She was expecting Bonnie's burger to come with extra cheese at this point.

Damon walked in, still testing the baby crib with large heavy objects. Elena watched him with amusement as he piled several very large books in the crib and stepped back to watch.

"I think we should buy a new one." Damon said, his eyes on the crib's every movement. It swayed back and forth a bit, rocking the books exactly as it was supposed to.

"The crib's fine."

"It's a secondhand crib, Elena. What if it falls with our child in it? It looks unstable to me."

"It looks fine to me. Rachel said it worked great for her baby. I don't want to buy a new one when this one is in great condition. It feels like throwing out recycling." Elena argued. He hadn't stopped moving since they came home from the hospital.

"I'm getting more books." Damon ignored her and left. "You bought your books for graduate school already, right? Where did those go?" His shout came from outside the room.

"Is he ok?" Bonnie whispered.

"Yeah, he's just freaking out a little. He'll be fine." Elena said quietly, unable to take her eyes off little Alaric. She was glad Damon no longer had super hearing. She held her arms out and Bonnie scooped up the baby and walked him over to her embrace.

Elena tugged a blanket over her upper body and lifted up her shirt. So far breastfeeding had been a good experience for both her and the baby. It was a little strange, but not unpleasant. Little A had a way of watching her while he was nursing that was pretty cute.

"He's been easy so far, almost too easy. I keep waiting for his father's genes to kick in and for him to throw a fit about something." Damon had been more trouble than Alaric in the last two days, worrying about every little thing.

"I heard that." Damon commented as he entered the room, her graduate books stacked in his arms. Elena watched as he piled them into the crib.

"You've got nearly forty pounds in that thing. You really think that our son weighs forty pounds? He doesn't. You _will_ break it if you put any more in." Elena raised her eyebrows. She secretly liked any excuse to say "our son" to him. It made her feel all warm and fuzzy, especially since she had been right about the sex. Damon glanced at her.

"I know. If it can handle forty pounds, I know it can handle our 7 lb baby."

"Clearly it can handle forty pounds. Now please stop fussing and come eat some burgers with us." Elena smiled and sat back in the chair, enjoying the pleasant numbness she got from nursing. The doctor had said something about oxytocin, but she had been very tired and she still wasn't entirely sure what that was.

Damon shifted as he stood, visibly tense as he met her eyes. She broke him down with her relaxed, lazy smile. He softened and walked over to put a warm hand on her shoulder.

"Alright. Fine. What do you want from me?"

"Sit down and girl talk with us." Elena grinned up at him.

"I'll be outside with Jeremy." Damon said after a momentary wince of pain at the idea. "Is he done?" Damon peaked under the blanket.

"I think so. He can't make up his mind. I'm going to give it another minute." Damon reached down to stroke the baby's head. Alaric looked up at him, his bright blue eyes catching on Damon's. She felt Damon hesitate.

"Those _really_ are my eyes." Damon whispered.

"Yeah, it's creepy as hell." Caroline mumbled.

Damon twisted slowly to glare at her.

"What? I think he's unbelievably cute, but it's still creepy to see your eyes on that poor little thing." Damon went deadly still and Elena was suddenly very alert. She recognized that stance: Damon's kill posture when he was a vampire. She hadn't seen it in him since he became human. Which was strange, because Caroline's criticisms were hardly new.

"Damon, can you give me a hand outside?" Elena whispered, afraid. He broke his predatory eye-lock with Caroline, and Elena noticed Caroline shiver a little out of the corner of her eye. Damon silently waited for Elena to cover up before he helped her stand.

"Alaric, your eyes are beautiful. Just like your daddy's." Elena kissed the baby's forehead, trying not to wince as she walked. She managed to seem pretty normal with Damon's steadying arms around her.

* * *

"What about Al?" Jeremy suggested as they sat around the adjoining tables on their small patio. Elena loved their little house exactly because it wasn't enormous like the mansion in Mystic Falls. It was made for two and it fit for her and Damon perfectly. With the extra company, however, they had to push another table out on the deck and it was pretty cramped. She couldn't think of a better group of people to be crowded in with, though.

"No." Damon snorted as he bit into his burger.

"You have something against Rick?" Bonnie asked him, skeptical.

"Only that I'm used to saying that name when I'm completely hammered and talking about things I absolutely can't talk about with my son." Damon said.

"I like Little A for now. That's what I've called him in my head." Elena said, lost in thought while she chewed her burger.

"Grayson is his middle name, right? Just call him that." Jeremy said, then after a moment of thought he turned to Elena. "I'm screwed if I have a boy. You took all the good names."

"Sorry." Elena said, looking very guilty.

"We've been over this- Grayson isn't his name. I'm just going to stick with Alaric." Damon said.

"Picky, picky, picky. Well, Damon feels very strongly about it, so maybe we should give you back 'Grayson', Jer. I don't think they've finalized the paperwork on his name yet." Elena shook her head, laughing at Damon's obstinance.

"Well, thank you. I would appreciate that. Especially if you don't intend to ever use it." Jeremy frowned at Damon.

"Well, great. We're back to square one. What's his middle name then?" Damon said, setting his burger down in frustration.

Caroline kissed the little boy on his nose, nibbling lightly on it before sitting back and making more faces at him. Damon was still eyeing her in a way that made Elena very nervous.

"Don't get your germs all over his face." Damon said unkindly.

Caroline looked at him warily.

"Sorry." She didn't really sound like she meant it. Bonnie glanced between the two, catching on to the strange tension. Caroline bounced the baby on her knee very gently. Damon stared at her just a little too long before refocusing on his burger.

* * *

Elena folded the new baby clothes into a tiny chest of drawers in the corner of the living room that was now their nursery. She had to move the crib to the side of the bed for the night so that she could feed him without getting up, as walking was still a painful task, but the rest of the nursery was fairly permanent.

"I wish Jer and Bonnie could have stayed longer. I hate never seeing them." Elena sighed. Damon was sitting with the baby on the floor, cradling him between his legs. Alaric was fascinated with Damon, a tiny smile bubbling over on his face from time to time as Damon played with him with one of the many brightly colored baby toys Bonnie and Jeremy brought up with them. His smiles already reminded her of Damon's sarcastic, arrogant smirks and she just knew that he had inherited his father's dark sense of humor.

"Well I'm glad Caroline's gone." Damon muttered, shaking a noisy toy just out of reach for Alaric, who, rather than getting frustrated, thought it was absolutely hilarious that Damon was teasing him like that. His little giggles were music to her ears. _That's a good sign, he's going to get a lot of that from Damon in his life._

"What was going on with you two?" Elena stopped folding and gave him her full attention. "I haven't seen you that angry since we were vampires."

Damon lifted Little A above his head and back down, inciting a squeal of delight from the baby.

"Didn't you hear what she said?" Damon said, his voice dangerous and quiet.

"What?"

"Poor little thing. He has my eyes." Damon spat, lifting the baby up and back down again very carefully, raising the squeal to a shriek of excitement.

Elena stilled. _Oh._

"He's lucky to have a part of you in him." Elena scooted over next to the two of them, cuddling closer and resting her chin on his shoulder. "Look how much love you have for him. That's what he'll have too, if he's lucky. Your capacity for love. That's what I think of when I see his eyes."

Damon was silent, but she felt the very tense shoulder muscles under her chin relax a bit. He adjusted the buttons on Alaric's onesie, and smoothed out stray wrinkles. The baby grasped at his fingers with affection. After a few minutes, he turned his head and gently kissed her cheek, his eyes searching hers. She saw the pain and insecurity there that he often masked in anger, and it made her ache to think that he might never be rid of that.

* * *

**Yeah, that episode definitely killed me. As you can probably tell from the above, I'm in a darker mood. I don't even want to write happy, cute stuff to cheer myself up. Ok it was mostly happy cute stuff... but I'm still seriously bummed out guys... I made the mistake of spoiling in the last chapter's author's note, though, so I'm not going to rant about it here. Instead, I'm going to thank you in advance for reviewing, so now every one of you feels obligated to write _something_ because I've already thanked you for it :P! Lol, like that's going to work... Ok, I'm off to go cry over the real TVD events of tonight. That's not a spoiler, right? I cry after most TVD episodes, in all honesty. WHY DO I LOVE THIS TV SHOW SO HARD WHEN THERE'S SO MUCH CRYING TO BE DONE AFTER WATCHING?!**


	6. Inheritance

Baby Alaric loved the patio, much like Elena did. She would sit out on the porch with him for hours, reading or opening the sliding glass doors to let music from their tv/stereo set waft through. He would fall asleep against her chest, his skin softer than moleskin against hers, his tiny hands gripping her clothes tightly. Sometimes she would read her books aloud to him, and he would sit very still as though he was listening hard to what she was saying and trying to understand.

Alaric was turning out to be an incredibly chill baby. As Damon described him, he was "blessed with her calm and his superior sense of humor". At one week old, she caught him laughing at Damon when he cut himself and was spewing curses every which way. Damon immediately stopped caring about the pain and looked over in surprise at the sound of the baby boy's giggles. Silence filled the room, broken only by the increasing pitch of amusement in Alaric's melodious laughter. Elena burst out with laughter to match his.

"He's your karma!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Just wait 'til he grows up. Then you'll know what I have to deal with." She patted him on the cheek.

"You _get _to deal with." He corrected her, gifting her a kiss.

* * *

"I wish I knew why he thinks it's so funny when you hurt yourself." Elena loved using the baby comb on his fair baby fuzz. He looked so well kept and groomed when the comb lifted, and it only took ten seconds to do.

"Oh great. It's happening. He already hates me." Damon sighed, messing up the carefully combed pattern. She frowned at him, but then gleefully started over.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Alaric adored Damon, almost to the point where Elena might have been jealous of his love if she didn't love him so much herself. Even though Elena was the one who fed him from her own breast every three to four hours, and she spent more total time with him while Damon was at work, Damon had an intuitive connection with the baby that Elena had yet to tap into. He knew exactly what made Alaric happy, when he was upset, what was bothering him, even before she knew something was wrong or right. Elena had far more misses than hits at the game Alaric liked to play called _Why am I crying?_. The most infuriating part of it all; she knew it, Alaric definitely knew it, and Damon wouldn't believe either of them no matter what they did. He seemed oblivious to his amazing parenting skills, claiming they were completely average.

"It was so obvious that the fabric was too itchy. Just look at it, it looks like blind monkeys stitched it together. Stop trying to flatter me." Damon would brush off her gaping at him and her requests to share his secret on how he intuitively understood Alaric's every need.

It finally happened one day. Damon left the room and Alaric started crying. Elena was coincidentally looking over at them, and she saw Alaric's expressions as he watched Damon leave. She knew exactly why the baby started whimpering.

"Oh… my god. You absolutely cannot argue with me now. He never _cries_ when I leave the room." Elena yelled after Damon, definitely a little jealous at that scene she had just witnesse.

"He isn't crying because I left." Damon backtracked into the room, ready to dismiss her passionate arguments once more.

"He just stopped." Elena pointed at the now calm baby whose eyes were trained on Damon. She was already smiling. She had never been more certain of Alaric's thoughts.

"It must be something else." Damon searched the baby for some sign of what could have caused the perfectly timed wailing.

"Go ahead, Daddy Extraordinaire, use your magic psychic skills. Please explain to me the other possible reason that he would start crying just as you leave and then stop the moment you return." Elena was exasperated. She watched him closely, as she often privately did, for a clue to his secret. He examined the baby with a critical eye, not buying into it for one moment.

Same old Damon: for all of his faux arrogance, he had the hardest time believing when people were actually impressed with him or trying to compliment him. He didn't trust her even when she exclaimed it over and over again.

"Maybe his diaper's wet…"

"He's happy as a clam now, and that's because you're back with him. He'd still be screaming if it was his diaper. We learned that pretty quickly."

Damon's face scrunched up in confusion. How ironic, she thought. The first time she saw him without a clue as to what could be wrong with Alaric, and it was because he was blind to the fact that he was apparently the world's best parent.

"Leave the room. Maybe he'll do it again." Elena sat down on a stool at the kitchen table, next to the elevated car seat that Alaric was resting in on the table. Alaric looked at her and she gave a little nod, silently encouraging him to do her proud and finally give Damon a legitimate ego boost.

Damon was still skeptical. He was reluctant to perform for them, but she knew from years of experience that he simply didn't want to let himself believe something so wonderful about himself until it was absolutely, without a doubt, true.

Damon backed out of the room slowly, hiding just out of sight of the two of them. A brief silence elapsed and she could feel Damon's "I told you so" about to fill the air. Then Alaric began to sniffle, and a slow wail of displeasure started up. Damon immediately returned at the sound.

Alaric saw him and his wails died down quickly.

Damon looked at her, confusion and disbelief still evident, tentatively mixed in with awe now.

"I told you. I told you I wasn't flattering you. You're his favorite, Damon. Isn't he, Alaric?" Elena peered into the car seat at the sweet face. The baby looked at her with great interest, his dime-sized mouth hanging open a little.

"Hey, buddy, hi-five. Good work. That's how we tell daddy we love him." Elena slipped a pinky into his tiny grip, wiggling it slightly. Alaric was fascinated with the action.

"Jesus, I'm not his favorite. I'm sure he doesn't have a favorite. He's barely a week old." Damon said, unbuckling the baby and lifting him into his arms. No matter what he said, a deeply genuine smile was fighting through the disbelief.

"Oh, I know he loves me too. But Damon… you're his favorite." Elena wasn't one bit sad to admit it when she saw that rare light in his eyes at the words.

_You may be ahead in the game now, Salvatore, but wait until he wants to drive your Camaro and you won't hand over the keys. Then we'll see who his favorite parent is. _Elena chuckled to herself as she watched Damon cradle the baby in his arms, soaking in the rare moment where Damon let himself accept that he was worthy of their love.

When she saw Alaric's exhilarated smile at being pulled into his arms, she knew that there was at least one thing Alaric had inherited from her, and it was brighter than the crystal blue of his father's eyes.

* * *

Damon was just finishing changing Alaric's diaper when the two walked in the front door. After a hundred and forty some years of seeing Stefan at the ripe age of 17, he never ceased to be amazed at evidence of Stefan's aging. The flawless, soft, youthful skin that he was used to had dimmed into a hard casing for a taller, stronger man. Their last meeting was over a year ago, and he looked about Damon's age now.

Stefan was looking at Elena with a familiar look that always caused a bit of discomfort in Damon. Damon no longer actually felt worried about her feelings for him, but he got a stab of pain every so once and a while for the buried longing in his brother as he watched her. He didn't know if he would ever fully get over her.

Stefan's eyes raked the apartment quickly, skimming right over him to fall on Alaric, who was sprawled out on the living room table with a fresh diaper wrapped around his butt.

Damon saw Stefan hesitate, saw the confluence of pain and happiness and fear swirl through him before he threw up the expected emotions on his face.

"Wow, what a cutie." Stefan said, pulling off his shoes and walking calmly over to where Damon was sitting. Stefan sat on the ground on the other side of the table and reached for Alaric. He picked up the little boy and held him at arms length to study his face more closely.

Elena soon joined them, standing next to the table with her arms crossed as she watched Alaric and Stefan's interactions. Damon briefly met her eyes and he knew she was unsure what to expect too.

Stefan looked at the baby for a long moment, his eyebrows drawn together and a small smile on his face.

"He definitely got Damon's eyes." Stefan commented, predictably. Alaric was beginning to fuss over dangling unsupported in the air. At the first sign of discomfort in him, Stefan drew the little boy to his body and hugged him to his shoulder, patting his back.

"Hey, little nephew. How's it going?" Stefan asked, turning his head to look at Alaric. Alaric was watching him with a caution that almost made Damon smile to see.

"Little A, this is Stefan. He's your uncle." Elena bent over and spoke to Alaric in a gentle voice. Alaric turned his head to the familiar sound of his mother, but then immediately returned to staring with confusion at the new man who was holding him. Damon couldn't shake the sense that he was judging him at two weeks old.

"I think he's going to get your nose, Elena." Stefan said, still looking over the baby's face.

"Yeah, Damon thinks so too." Elena grinned. "It's hard to tell right now, though."

Alaric started to cry. Damon stifled a smile.

"I bet he's hungry. I was out running errands before I picked you up so I haven't fed him in a couple hours." Elena explained quickly, taking him as Stefan handed him over. She sat down on the couch and pulled a blanket out from beneath it, situating herself to nurse him. Stefan looked a little hurt, but he tried not to show it.

"He's not good with new people. He'll like you by the time you leave." Damon explained bluntly. Elena shot him a look for not sparing Stefan's feelings.

"Oh, ok. Good to know." Stefan replied blandly, clearly unsure how to take that.

"So…. a beard, huh?" Damon frowned.

* * *

**We all know that the next couple of episodes are going to leave us emotionally crippled. To counter this, I'm going to amp up the cheeriness and domestic cuteness of this story and sink into denial with Elena (in a much more optimistic way than, you know, whatever she's doing in that promo that looks like what nutcases might do). I'm prolonging my more upsetting future plot twists. I do apologize to any Caroline fans that I may have upset in the last chapter! I myself am a fan of Caroline, but I am not a fan of both sides of the current relationship between Caroline and Damon. I don't like what they bring out in one another. I think they have a lot of things to work out that the TV show has been ignoring. So, when I write her as mean or a little obnoxious and Damon, too, as too harsh with her, I have an end plan in mind. I promise! **


	7. Confessions

Elena got up for the third time that night to the sound of Alaric's cries. After nursing him and tucking him back into his crib, she walked out to the kitchen for a glass of water.

They had unfurled the couch into a bed for Stefan that night, but he was nowhere to be found. The bed looked slept in.

_Where is he at 4:30 in the morning?_ Elena wondered, sleepily walking over and checking the bed to be sure. She felt like maybe she was still dreaming.

Then she noticed that the doors to the patio were cracked open. Curious, she opened them and sure enough there was Stefan on the balcony smoking a cigarette.

"Stefan… aren't you in school to be a doctor? Why are you smoking?" Elena rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Stefan was looking out at the night view of the ocean until her voice called his attention to her.

"Oh, hi Elena. I didn't mean to start, but it helps me relax. I know, it's a terrible habit." Stefan nervously rubbed the cigarette out on the railing. He flicked it in the small trashcan by the patio doors.

"I know why I'm up at 4 in the morning, but why are you?"

Stefan leaned against the railing, admiring the view once more. He took several moments to answer.

"I couldn't sleep. Just being here. It makes me think a lot." Stefan said. "You two having a kid is still kind of… it boggles my mind." Stefan laughed, but there was a painful edge to it.

"I know, it seems unbelievable to me sometimes too. Life just sort of happened. I didn't think I'd ever be a mother when we lost the cure to Silas, but here we are. And it's all because you didn't give up, so thank you for finding another way."  
Stefan looked at her from out of the corner of his eye. He sighed and took off the jacket he was wearing to swing it around her shoulders. She hadn't realized she was shivering. This brought them closer together. While she appreciated the gesture, the longer he hovered there the more inappropriate their positions seemed to her. She chanced to look up at him, and she recognized that look from so long ago. Once, that look was all it took to make her happy.

She took a step back.

"Thank you."

Stefan didn't reply. He kept looking at her like that, but the more she looked at him the more she realized that she didn't recognize his face at all. The person he was now was someone she barely knew, he was so changed by time. It frightened her that he seemed much less harmless now than he used to. Even as a vampire, he hadn't scared her as much as his eyes did then. He had the physical stature of a teenager when they were in love, but he was undeniably a man now.

"When you and Damon let the cure go, and you decided to live as a vampire for him, I felt like I could try to get over you because our lives didn't work together. I wanted a life as a human, and you didn't." Stefan said. His grip tightened on the railing. "But now you're human, and you have this life with Damon that I can't help but feel should be with me." Elena's jaw dropped. She couldn't speak.

"Do you ever regret it?" Stefan asked, his voice husky.

"What do you mean?" Elena almost didn't ask.

"I mean, do you ever regret the choice you made between us? Do you ever wish your child had green eyes, rather than blue?"

Elena drew a sharp breath.

"How can you even ask me that now?"

"Because I need to hear you say it, just one more time. That you don't ever find yourself wishing that this life you're living with him was one that you could live with me." Stefan advanced upon her, and she saw his hands were shaking.

"What are you doing? What do you expect by saying these things to me? I'm married. I have a child. I'm in love with Damon, as I have been for the last seven years, Stefan. I thought you accepted and understood that. I thought we were going to try to be friends, half-siblings. Family." She backed away from him, frightened.

"Elena, I've been around for more than a hundred years. I've loved exactly one woman in all that time. Nothing I feel now compares to what I felt when we were together, no matter what I do, no matter who I'm with." Elena ran into the railway, and Stefan pressed closer, placing his hands on either side of her and trapping her. "I know you loved me too. Just tell me that you never think about it, that you never wish for it, and I'll let it go forever. I tried to get over you. I've been looking for someone I can love like I loved you, and it doesn't exist." His voice almost broke at the end, and Elena actually found herself feeling sorry for him. What she had was exactly what he wanted when he took the cure, but he hadn't found someone to live it with yet.

Elena took a shaky breath, fighting what she felt sure was an irrational fear. This was Stefan, the do-gooder. He wouldn't hurt her.

"I never think about it. We were done, Stefan. We've been done for a very long time. Damon is my husband. Damon is who I want to be with, who I want to have children with." Stefan completely deflated at the words. He stepped back, his hands falling to his sides. He looked away, back over the ocean.

"Look, I know it's frustrating that you haven't found someone you feel that strongly about yet. But you will, I promise. I mean, you're going to Stanford Medical School! I'm sure there will be plenty of future doctor ladies that are perfectly wonderful girls to fall in love with. With everything we've been through in Mystic Falls, the bonds that we formed over struggling and protecting each other are hard to replicate. It will be tough to forge those kinds of relationships again under normal circumstances. But you wanted to be human, so you have to do what humans do. You have to fall in love the normal, non-life threatening way. It may not be as quick, but it can be as deep if you give it time." Elena was glad that her heart rate slowed down. She felt she needed to say this to Stefan. She couldn't meet him again in seven years and hear something like this come out of this mouth. They needed to be a real family now. She wanted her son to have a relationship with his uncle.

Stefan ran two hands over his face.

"God! I know, I know that… I don't know what made me say those things to you. I shouldn't have, I'm so sorry, Elena. This whole situation just brings up old feelings that I guess I'm not over yet. Can we forget about it and go back to normal tomorrow?" Stefan asked quietly.

"Yeah, of course. But I'm not going to forget about it. I want you to find happiness, Stefan, and it can't be with me. Please don't give up on that idea yet." Elena shrugged his jacket off and handed it back to him. Stefan took it and slowly shook his head in acknowledgement, lost in thought.

* * *

Elena said goodnight and wandered back into the bedroom. Damon wasn't fooling her, she had seen the shadows move in the kitchen.

"I know you heard." She said as she climbed back under the covers.

He didn't answer, still upholding the pretense of sleep.

"Let's try to forget about it. This is the first time that he's said something like that to me since we've been together."

"Seven years later…" Damon mumbled.

"How would you feel if you saw me and him with a baby and you still had no one?" Elena sighed.

Damon was suddenly on top of her, his lips crushing her into the bed. Elena squirmed in surprise, but then she sunk into the strangely timed kiss with a groan. His hard body rubbed against hers and left her breathless at the sensations.

"Don't even say that. I can't stand it." Damon nuzzled her neck, caressing her with gentle urgency. His hands were the source of shivers under her shirt.

"Damon… I can't, not yet." Elena was nervous.

He went limp.

"Ugh… I know. I just can't wait… I miss being inside of you." Then he touched her in a way that made her close her eyes and forget where she was.

Elena was still afraid at the idea, though she missed being intimate with him as well.

Instead, Damon kissed every part of her body until she was hot with longing. Then he brought her to the brink and watched with pleasure as she fell over it.

He wrapped her in his arms and she could feel his fear when he kissed her hair.

"I'm never going back to him." She panted, still falling slowly down from her orgasm.

"I know you aren't. It's just the thought of it that makes me crazy." His arms tightened around her.

* * *

Stefan kissed Alaric's cheek before setting him back down in his crib.

"You were right Damon, he just needed to get used to me. He seems to like me just fine now." Stefan peered down at the smiling little boy.

"Time mends all." Damon shrugged, his arms folded as he stood next to the crib with Stefan.

"Are you ready to go?" Caroline asked with keys in hand.

Stefan turned to hug his brother. Elena saw Damon hesitate briefly, a spark in his eyes. Then it melted away and the two embraced briefly.

"I hope I get to see you guys soon. He's going to grow up fast." Stefan said, patting his arm.

"Real soon." Damon nodded with a hard swallow.

* * *

**I just can't fight the feeling that Stefan needs to suffer a little bit… and the biggest f. you is to have him re-confess his feelings to Elena and have her shut him down and sleep with Damon. TAKE THAT STEFAN! I WISH I WROTE THIS SHOW DX. Then Damon is the bigger man by letting him go without punching him out, because he knows how much it would suck to be in his position so he forgives him. Though I'm so pissed at Stefan at this point I may write a sucker-punch scene to feed my inner sadist…. **

**I'm not sure if it's my writing or just that the last episode killed fan's enthusiasm to read fanfiction since it was THE SADDEST THING I'VE EVER SEEN HOLY CRAP, but that last chapter got very little love. Let me know if I'm taking the story in a direction you don't want it to go, or what you want to read more and less of so I know what you quiet readers are thinking****.**


	8. Sex

**My gift to you- some Delena smut. It's going to get explicit, people. This is your courtesy warning****.**

* * *

4 month old Alaric was just about the most relaxed baby Damon had ever heard of or seen. He barely cried, unless he was hungry or uncomfortable, which to be fair happened at least 3 times a day, but overall it was mostly quiet around their little seaside house. Elena would share stories that her friends from Lamaze classes had, and Damon couldn't believe how lucky they had gotten with Alaric.

Elena was finally starting to feel better about her body. She looked almost exactly the same as she did before she had Alaric, but she still didn't feel comfortable with sex. Damon was learning to exercise great control, but it was at the point where everything she did turned him on.

Like taking toast out of the toaster over. That wasn't supposed to be so incredibly sexy. Or vacuuming. Or just breathing, really.

He was trying to be chivalrous and wait for her to bring it up on her own. The last thing he wanted to do was pressure her when she wasn't ready.

Then one day he was brushing his teeth and Elena was taking a shower. Lately, he tried not to look at her naked. He had found that the best way to control himself was to avoid temptation in the first place.

He rinsed and spat out the toothpaste. As he looked in the mirror, he watched her silhouette as she washed herself. It had been four very long, dry months. Her slender figure, her slow seemingly sensual movement, the curves of her body- he was beyond temptation at that point. The steam filled the room and the air was thick with heat and moisture.

Elena turned off the water and cracked the shower curtain, reaching for a towel to cover her self. She caught sight of his statue-still gaze in the mirror. She blushed as she pulled the towel to herself, bashful. But Damon was too far gone. He had to at least try.

He approached her and gently pulled the towel away from her body. Elena was shivering with desire as she tentatively met his appreciative eyes. It had been a long time for her too. His gaze skimmed down over her beautiful skin, pausing on her breasts before pressing further. He raised a hand and tilted her chin to look at him more fully. He leaned in, breathing in the clean smell of her skin.

They were so close now, all she had to do was pull him to her and he would make love to her right there on the bathroom floor.

"Damon…" She breathed hesitantly, quivering as his feather light touch ran from her shoulder, over her chest, and finally ended on her nipples to tease them.

"Yes?" He asked, a smirk starting at the sight of her familiar expression. Her eyes were barely open, her mouth was parted for heavier breaths, and a slight flush spread over her chest and cheeks. She wanted it so badly, but she was still holding back.

"Don't be afraid, Love." Damon kissed her smooth cheek and continued the kiss to her ear where he heard her sharp intake of breath as he explored the sensitive skin with his tongue. Her knees went weak and she grabbed his arm to steady her self.

"But I am. I'm afraid." She breathed. Damon ran a hand around the curve of her ass and parted her legs to his touch. He felt how wet she was already, just from his gaze and brief touch. He met her eyes, his smirk growing at the feel, and her doe eyes were helpless to her own desires. She was still so nervous, though, and he knew her shaking was only partly from arousal. He was going to have to do something to counter that.

He pushed her back so she was resting in the bathtub, one leg hooked over the side. She couldn't bring herself to fight away his touch, and he knew she thought about it from the brief flash of panic he saw cross her face before she gave herself back into desire. He lightly caressed her thighs and urged them apart.

He knelt between her legs and kissed her sex slowly and sensually, enjoying the delicious scent of her. Elena grabbed her own hair in one hand, while the other hand fisted in his, communicating her urgency for him to continue. He carefully slipped a finger inside, redirecting his attention to teasing her clit with his tongue. Elena gasped and her back arched.

"How does it feel?" Damon asked cautiously, pumping his finger in and out at a relaxed pace, savoring the feel of her. Oh, he had missed this. Elena had a hard time replying.

"Good, it feels good." She sighed in relief. He worked another finger inside of her, still teasing her clit from time to time with his mouth.

"How about this?" Damon asked.

"It feels amazing." Elena shuddered, her voice a breathy whisper.

Damon continued the luxurious pace until he was sure she was aroused enough to handle him without pain. Then he hastily discarded his underwear and pulled himself up so his body covered hers.

Elena was a mess of little shivers and harsh breathing. Her fingers rested lightly on his shoulders as he positioned himself above her, still the slightest bit tentative. He met her eyes as he gradually pushed into her, watching her carefully for signs of discomfort.

_Oh god. Four months. I forgot what heaven this is. _

Damon let a groan loose as he pushed himself in to the hilt, closing his eyes to the overwhelming pleasure. Elena's grasp tightened on his shoulder and his eyes immediately snapped back open. Her face was still the picture of pleasure, though.

Relieved, he resumed the slow pace he started with his fingers.

Elena held him closely to her and her little moans were music to his ears as he eased into a faster tempo. He kissed her neck and lips many times over, grateful for her bravery and eager to show his appreciation and affection. It felt like drinking water from an oasis in the middle of a desert he had wandered through for far too long.

Elena lifted her arms above her head to brace herself against the bathtub as he approached orgasm.

"Do you think you can?"

"No, I want you to." She shook her head.

Damon wasn't going to argue at this point. He threw his head back as a wave of pleasure rocked his body.

"Oh, wait, Damon, wait!" Elena squeezed his shoulders in panic. Damon was ripped from the moment of euphoria as he tried to focus on her. She was squirming away from him and before he knew it he was no longer buried inside of her.

"Shit." Elena cursed as she scrambled up against the bathtub wall.

"What? What's wrong, are you ok?" Damon breathed hard, bracing himself against the wall as weakness immediately flooded his body in the wake of his orgasm.

"Condom! We always forget!" Elena groaned, rubbing her forehead in exasperation.

Six years as vampires, 9 months of pregnancy, and 4 months of stagnation had left them with no habitual thought of protection. That was really turning up to bite them in the ass.

"Oh, fuck." Damon let his head hang, physically and emotionally drained now.

Alaric chose that moment to start crying.

* * *

"So… what did you get?"

Elena sighed as she set her car keys down on the kitchen table.

"Plan B. Let's hope it works." She held up the bright, cheerful box for him to see and started to open it. Damon filled a glass of water for her. The optimistic quotes on the front of the box were somehow unbelievably irritating to Damon.

"Is it just a pill?"

"Two. I have to take the other one in twelve hours."

"Don't forget." Damon grinned. "We're bad at remembering these things."

"Yeah, I got pregnant right away when we were changed. I think I'd like to be normal for a little while longer before our next one."

Damon caught her wrist as she went to pop the pill in her mouth.

"You want another one?"

"Well, yeah." Elena shrugged, looking away from him in slight embarrassment.

Damon soaked that in.

"When do you want the next one?"

Elena looked down at the pill he still wasn't allowing her to take.

"I don't fancy right now, if that's what you mean." She frowned.

Damon lifted his hand off hers and she downed the pill with some water.

"I want one too." Another thing he didn't want to bring up with her right after birth. That had been a pretty horrible experience for her and he didn't want to talk about it until the memory wasn't so fresh. He was a little dazed that she could speak so freely and casually about it now when he had been struggling with how to adress the topic for months.

She smiled softly at him before she looked down at the ground.

"Well, we're in agreement. But I'd like some more time for my body to rest before we embark on that path again. Plus, Alaric's quite a handful right now. I don't know if we could handle another one so soon. "

"But you do want one?" Damon couldn't quite believe the words. He had to hear once more.

"Yes." She smiled as she let him pull her into a bear hug at the word.

* * *

**Short chapter today as I am writing on fumes and homework blues. I had to write something to wash the Stefan out of my system, the tiny love scene in the last chapter was not enough. Ok, I don't hate Stefan, I'm just incredibly frustrated at how little hurt he tends to get compared to the mountain of pain that Damon is constantly buried under. In my (admittedly biased) eyes, anyway, the scales are definitely tipped between the two. I used to be pretty neutral about Stefan, until the last three episodes. Now I'm leaning more towards the **_**douchebag**_** label, especially after that "control your woman" comment in 4x12. **

**Thanks for responding so vehemently to my plea for feedback in the last chapter, hope to hear more from you this chapter as well :D!**


	9. Silence

It was pouring outside so Elena was having a hard time concentrating on her book. She kept looking out the window to watch the rain drizzle down, losing her spot.

Graduate school was really piling on the work, and on top of that Alaric was quickly becoming more and more mobile. He was in constant mischief. The calm, quiet demeanor that made him such a heavenly baby was turning into a curse. He would silently and swiftly destroy everything he could get his hands on. She wouldn't discover the mess he made for hours or days, he was so sneaky about it. Damon, when he wasn't pissed about cleaning it up, thought it was hilarious that his incredibly calm exterior was hiding such a devious mind. The boy was more and more like him every day.

Elena put the book down at the thought, suddenly sure that she should check he wasn't messing something up right at that moment. She turned around and Alaric looked up at her gaze. Sure enough, he was disassembling the remote.

"Alaric, don't put that in your mouth!" She hurried over and tugged the AA batteries out of his hand, horrified that she hadn't thought to check on him sooner. He gazed at her, puzzled, the picture of innocence. A little smile spread over his face.

"You used to be so sweet." She sighed, picking him up and kissing his face with endearment. "Now you're a little terror." She bumped her forehead to his, trying to see past those mysterious eyes and derive his next destructive plot.

"Where is your Daddy? He was supposed to be here an hour ago. I already have dinner ready." Elena gently disentangled Alaric's hands from her hair and set him in his high chair. "I guess you'll just have to eat without him tonight." She sat next to him at the table, watching as he picked up his sippy cup and, after missing a few times, successfully placed it to his lips. She spooned out some baby mango puree and green bean mash to feed him.

She read another chapter in her book before she heard Damon's car enter the driveway.

She stood up nervously and smoothed her skirt down. She adjusted her hair in the mirror, double checking her makeup.

Today was a special day.

When Damon walked through the door he looked drained. He hung up his coat and keys, kicked off his shoes, and looked for her immediately.

She smiled breathlessly as he lifted her up and swung her around.

"Just what I needed." He mumbled into her hair, his arms tightening around her as he set her on her feet.

"Did the negotiations go well?" Elena asked, enjoying his warmth.

"Please. It's me. Of course. They signed on for a two year contract." He checked out what she made for dinner, arrogantly shrugging off her questions. She made his favorite on purpose, so she expected it when he rounded on her, pleased. Then he noticed how nice she looked and she saw his eyes skim down her body and back up.

"I knew you would!" She congratulated him, ignoring his meaningful gaze for the moment.

"What's the occasion?" Damon asked, cocking his head to the side. He leaned back against the kitchen counter, crossing his powerful arms across his chest. Alaric, who had been fussing since Damon walked in the door, finally got fed up with being ignored and threw his sippy cup at him.

Damon looked over in surprise, then quickly lifted the little boy from his highchair. He kissed both cheeks and patted his back.

"Hey buddy, sorry I didn't say hi right away! Daddy is _hungry_." Damon said, wiggling his eyebrows at Elena as he said the last part. Elena felt a blush overcome her. Alaric put both hands on Damon's face, babbling nonsense at him in greeting. Damon nodded patiently and responded as though he knew what the baby was trying to say, carrying on a brief one-sided conversation.

Elena scooped the sippy cup off the floor with a sigh, reconsidering her decision for a brief moment before her resolve set again.

She joined Damon for dinner, laughing and joking as they discussed their day. Damon wolfed down the food she made, and she felt a warm glow that he loved her cooking so much. He didn't always appreciate it when she experimented, so tonight she stuck with what she knew he liked. She wanted him happy, fed and rejuvenated before she broke the news.

Damon scraped his plate into the sink before he brought up his earlier question.

"So... what's the occasion?" He asked, running water over his plate. Elena picked up their water glasses, hesitant and nervous.

"Well, I thought we could… start trying again."

Damon paused, looking back at her. She adjusted the glasses in her hands and shifted her weight in the silence. He set his plate down in the sink. He looked back at her one more time and she could feel something building between them. To her surprise, he lifted Alaric from his high chair and left the room with the baby.

Confused and stunned, she stood there, unsure what to do. He returned to the kitchen after a few moments without Alaric before she had a chance to decide how to interpret his response.

Just as she turned to face him, a question forming on her lips, he crashed into her, his hands grasping her ass and clutching the fabric of her skirt as he lifted her. He backed her into the kitchen table and set her down with his body between her legs. She gasped when he roughly pulled her skirt up around her waist, grinding his hardness into her. He clutched her to his chest as he devoured her lips. She barely managed to set the glasses down properly before she responded by unbuttoning his shirt and yanking his tie over his head.

His hands explored under her shirt and his lips communicated how impatient he was with her progress on his buttons. He kept biting the nape of her neck and shoulder, though, and she had to stop unbuttoning as the sensations rippled through her and erased all her thoughts.

She completely gave up on the buttons when his tongue entered her ear and electricity ran down her spine to her sex. His fingers worked her over through her underwear. He held her lips to his possessively and swallowed up her every whimper and moan.

"Come on, baby. I need to be inside you." He whispered against her neck as he redirected her fluttering hands to his pants.

"O-ok…" She panted as he pawed her breasts again and her eyes lost focus. Her fingers fumbled on his zipper and pant button. "Just… wait… wait a moment…" She pushed him back a little, trying to clear her dizzy head. She couldn't even undress him properly, she was so affected by his aggressive attack.

"No waiting." Damon cleared the saltshaker, peppershaker and ornate napkin holder from behind her with one sweep of his arm before he laid her down on the table. Her panties were gone in an instant, and then she heard the zipper of his pants.

"Damon…" She said, unable to see exactly what he was doing. Then he enter her swiftly, his body rubbing against hers.

"OH god." She cried in surprise, clutching at his strong chest. He lifted her butt closer to him and drove into her again and again, yanking her shirt up to bite her nipples. He wrapped her legs around him. The level of desire with which he fucked her was unparalleled, and she nearly blacked out from the intensity of their union. She could do nothing but hold onto him tightly and ride the waves of pleasure through to their conclusion.

* * *

Elena was completely knocked out when the phone rang. Damon sat up sleepily, mistaking it for Alaric's cries and remembering in a foggy haze that Elena had just fed him a few hours ago so it was his turn to address it.

When he realized it was the phone, his mood darkened. He snatched it up off the bedside table and stood up, leaving the room so he wouldn't wake Elena.

"Whoever this is should remember that I have experience in torture." Damon whispered murderously as he lifted the phone to his ear, the bedroom door closed behind him.

"Damon…" The word was a sob, quickly followed by a ragged gasp and a hiccup. Damon froze in his pacing, listening carefully for a clue as to the identity of the speaker.

"Who is this?"

"Damon, I did something bad. I'm… I'm so sorry!" Caroline's voice shook with another sob.

"What's wrong Caroline?" Damon gripped the phone to his ear, panic rising in him.

"I'm so sorry… I didn't know he would… I shouldn't have…." Hiccups broke up her incomplete thoughts.

"Tell me right now." Damon hissed into the phone, his hand shaking.

"Please tell Elena I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry!" Caroline cried breathlessly before she hung up. Damon immediately called back once, twice, three times. Finally he threw the phone against the wall. He went back into the bedroom, quickly and quietly pulled on a pair of jeans and a shirt, and then threw on his jacket before he left the house.

He sped over to Caroline's apartment. He checked the time as he started the car, 12:30. He was there by 12:50. The door was open.

"Caroline?" He said, cautiously stepping through the open door. The apartment looked, for the most part, normal. Nothing disturbed in the living room, the kitchen. Nothing obviously out of place. The lights were all on.

The predator mind that refused to die after 140+ years screamed at him that there was another predator here, to stay quiet. He approached the bedroom door with silent footsteps, grabbing a knife from the kitchen before entering the hallway to it.

Damon pushed the door open carefully and stopped immediately at what he uncovered. Caroline was lying across her bedcovers with her head on her pillows. She looked like she could be sleeping. He knew at once that she wasn't.

He lurched to her side to check her pulse just to be sure. Dead. A sinking feeling flooded his stomach as he thought about how he could possibly break this kind of news to Elena. She had lost too many people already. He sagged on the bed next to her, absorbing the sight and trying to calm his racing thoughts.

"It's been too long." Damon spun around at the familiar voice.

Klaus stood in the doorway, grinning mildly at him with his arms clasped behind his back. Damon inwardly kicked himself. He should have known.

"You did this."

"Don't worry, she'll be up soon enough- fully restored to her former glory." His smile widened at Damon's expression. _Not dead, just a vampire. With no hope of being cured. _

"Why?" Damon asked simply, the old feeling of dread and hopelessness gnawing at him.

"She begged me to." Klaus whispered menacingly. He took a step closer and then began meandering around the room.

"Every few years, I call to check in on her. Usually she brushes me off and tells me she's still with Tyler and to stop calling. Not this time." He said, picking up a picture of Elena, Bonnie and Caroline from her dresser. He looked at it for a moment before setting it back down.

"I found her at a bar, out of her mind with drink. Imagine my surprise when I learned that she was human." Klaus met his eyes. "And that she was not alone." Klaus's eyes sparkled with a sick kind of joy. He inhaled.

"Oh you smell delicious, like humanity." Klaus laughed. "You were the last one I would have expected to take the cure, Damon, of all your soft-hearted friends. Of course, you had a very good reason for it."

Damon felt like Klaus had kicked him the stomach. He knew. Caroline told him.

"And now, the doppelganger line continues on."

* * *

**Sorry this one took so long, lots of complicated things going on in my personal love life that distracted me from writing. Luckily, the TVD withdrawals from the TVD break remedied that. I'm so excited for the next episode, maybe we won't all want to turn off our humanity at the end (I cried for a week after that last episode, not ashamed to admit). I wish, instead of an Originals spinoff, they would do a Delena spinoff that is basically identical to this story. Except maybe Stefan's dead :D. I swear, I didn't used to be a Stefan hater, he's just bumming hard this season…. but it sounds like most of you readers agree with me on this. Interesting reviews lately, by the way, I love the suggestions. Keep them coming!**


	10. Blood

Damon was helpless. It didn't sit well with him.

"Human Elena… as it turns out, all I had to do was practice patience. Now I have a means to make my hybrids once more."

"You aren't going to touch her." Damon growled.

"Well you certainly can't do anything about it." He suddenly appeared in front of Damon and lifted him from the bed by his throat. "You aren't in top shape at the moment." Klaus commented lightly, raising his eyebrows.

He tossed Damon against the wall. His shoulder and back throbbed, but luckily he managed to shield his head.

"Now, why don't you sit tight until Miss Forbes awakens. Unless you feel like leading me back to Elena so I can bleed her out." Klaus swept out of the room without waiting for an answer, leaving Damon with Caroline and the pit of despair eddying inside him.

Damon couldn't bring himself to move. He lay there crumpled against the wall with pain radiating through his body and his heart.

* * *

Damon texted Bonnie, Jeremy, Matt and Stefan with an SOS, but they were all asleep. Damon didn't want to risk calling when Klaus could pop back up at any moment and overtake his conversation with threats.

The rest of the time he spent agonizing over how he could keep this monster from Elena and Alaric. Any way he looked at it, the best way to deal with the situation was to go along with what Klaus wanted, at least for the moment. He hated the idea of Klaus around Elena or Alaric, but he knew he wouldn't hurt them. He needed Elena alive so he could take her blood at his convenience.

The idea of Klaus interrupting their lives to drain her whenever he wanted made his blood boil.

Damon punched through the wall at the thought. He let his fist sit there for a moment, not wanting to pull it out and see the bloody mess it was now. _ Just like my life_, he thought bitterly.

"Damon?" Caroline murmured. Damon's heart leapt into his throat. He turned to see her starting to stir. Had Klaus really been gone that long? Damon tenderly pulled his fist out of the wall and checked the window. It was starting to lighten outside.

"Caroline." Damon sat next to her on the bed. She sat up groggily.

"I feel…. Oh." She put a hand to her head. When her eyes met his they flooded with tears. "Oh… no…. no, no, no! NO!" Caroline wailed. She crumpled into his arms. Damon held her and rubbed her back, ignoring the part of him self that wanted to shake her and demand to know how this had happened.

"I didn't want this."

"I know."

"I'm sorry!"

"I know." Damon sighed, clenching his jaw. He lifted her from his arms to look at her straight.

"Will you drink?" He asked.

The silence dragged on. Her eyes set in resolve.

"Yes."

Damon held his wrist to her lips and Caroline bit down.

His phone buzzed just as she pulled away from him reluctantly. Stefan was the first to respond, early-to-rise medical student that he was.

_I'll be there in an hour._

"How is that going to help anything?" Damon grumbled, wishing the Witch would wake up already.

"We need Bonnie." Caroline said.

"I already texted her. Don't try to call, we don't want to give him any opportunity to hijack the call and make this situation worse." Damon stopped her when she pulled her phone from her pocket.

"You're up." Klaus had appeared. His eyes wandered over Caroline. "Feel better?"

"Why did you do this to me?" Caroline screamed, tears falling down her cheeks.

"You asked me to, love." Klaus replied softly, taken aback by her angry accusation.

Caroline froze. She put a hand to her head.

"I did?"

"Yes, you did." Klaus came closer. He stroked her cheek, tucking her hair behind her ear. Caroline's cries died down and she looked confused.

"He broke your heart and you begged me to fix it." Klaus whispered.

"But I didn't ask for this…." Caroline shook her head, trapped by his hypnotic eyes.

"Yes you did, darling. Are you really that upset? Or is this what you secretly wanted all along?" Klaus asked, tracing her lips with his thumb. Caroline trembled at his touch. Damon rose from the bed, unable to watch any longer. He felt sick.

"I'm not done with you." Klaus's voice lost its tender, quiet quality.

"I'm sure." Damon turned to face him, bracing himself.

"Here's what's going to happen. You're going to take me back to your lovely wife and we're going to make a trip to the hospital where I've arranged for her to give a generous blood donation. Then you're both going to go home, safe as kittens, and live perfectly normal lives, churning out children until I come calling again." Klaus sat next to Caroline, his hand playing absentmindedly with her hair. Caroline still looked completely confused and lost in her own thoughts.

"Sounds like quite the deal, don't you think?" Klaus grinned at him. "Everyone gets to keep their lives and I get what I want. I don't think we've ever had such a harmonious agreement in all of our encounters." Klaus looked back over at Caroline, fascinated with her golden curls.

"What about me?" Caroline's lip quivered.

"You get to do whatever you want, Love. You're free. But you have a standing invitation to join me." Klaus leaned in and kissed her slowly. "You could be my dark queen." Damon noticed a shiver race down Caroline's body.

Damon cleared his throat loudly.

"Let's hold off on the PDA until I'm out of sight. If I wanted to watch something revolting I could just turn on Jersey Shore."

Klaus snarled at his remark. He offered a hand to Caroline but she brushed it off as she rose from the bed. He looked a little hurt.

"I'll make sure Elena's safe, Damon." Caroline promised, tears still wet in her eyes. "I'll make sure he doesn't take too much."

Damon's jaw worked in frustration. _This_ is what he had to rely on for his wife's safety: the word of Vampire Barbie and a volatile Original vampire with trust issues. He had never wished so strongly to be a vampire again.

"If you don't want me to fight this, and you know vampire or not I can cause you _so_ much trouble, I want to do this so Elena doesn't know you're behind it. I'll take her to the hospital when you need, but I'll tell her it's for something else." Damon wasn't so easily defeated. He met Caroline's eyes and she understood. Elena was pregnant again. It couldn't be good for her or the baby to have this kind of fear and uncertainty hanging over her at every turn.

"I'll go with you." Caroline turned to face Klaus. Surprise and hunger transformed his expression. "I'll be with you, _but_ you have to prove to me that you are worthy of a second chance. Do this for us… and I'll give you a clean slate." Caroline continued.

Klaus did not look pleased, but Damon knew the temptation of what Caroline offered was too much.

"You don't have to do that, Barbie. Believe me, I can make his life hell all on my own." Damon smirked at Klaus, meeting his dark glower fearlessly.

"Damon… I want to." Caroline admitted. Damon was more than surprised. How had Klaus managed that? The few times Damon had heard her talk about Klaus it was with a note of disdain and hatred.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." Caroline swallowed hard. Damon still suspected she might be martyring herself for them because she felt so guilty about causing the problem to begin with. That was the last of his kindness, though, and if Barbie was going to appease the monster of her own volition, he wouldn't argue it anymore.

"Don't tell Elena about me, please. At least for a little while… until I sort some things out." Caroline pleaded softly. Damon thought he saw shame cloud Barbie's face.

Klaus moved up behind her and placed a hand on her lower back.

"Then a deal is a deal." Klaus said, looking from Caroline to Damon. Damon seethed for a moment.

"Alright."

* * *

"Geez, our appointment was almost a month ago. Why this now?" Elena complained as Damon directed her through the halls of the hospital. He held her hand tightly, still nervous that Klaus would go back on his word for some reason and appear around every corner they turned.

"I know. She said they were looking back over our paperwork and wanted to double check something." Damon lied through his teeth. Klaus had compelled a phone call from their OBGYN that morning when Damon returned home.

"Well I wish they would have looked over it sooner. I'm supposed to be in Contemporary British Literature right now. I don't see why it's so urgent that I couldn't have come in later. She said it wasn't anything serious."

"I don't know either, but I'm inclined to listen to the doctor on this one." He smiled reassuringly at her, trying to assuage her horrible mood.

The doctor explained to Elena that they had to take more blood to do some extra tests. Elena listened patiently to the fake reason and settled down passively as the nurse began to poke her with needles. Damon shifted nervously, always on the lookout for Klaus. He could feel that he was here, watching and waiting.

_Make an excuse and come to the bathroom. _ Damon's heart raced at the text from Barbie. Excusing himself, he walked outside of the office and waiting room. Caroline and Stefan were waiting in the hall.

"What are you doing here? How is your presence at all helpful?" Damon grouched at Stefan, glad to finally have someone he could take his anxiety out on.

"Damon, this is very dangerous. Elena's 6 months pregnant and she should _not_ be giving more than a syringe worth of blood right now." Stefan said quickly, very worried. "If your doctor weren't compelled she would have told you that. You have to get in there and stop it."

"If I go in there right now and tell them to stop, Elena's going to know something's wrong. You have to tell Klaus to compel the doctor to interfere." Damon turned to Caroline. She disappeared suddenly. Klaus reappeared with her after a few seconds.

"This is almost more trouble than it's worth." Klaus growled at Stefan, nearly as irritated with his presence as Damon had been.

"Oh really?" Caroline's eyebrows shot up and she crossed her arms in front of her in a defensive, bossy stance. He looked at her, his nostrils flaring. A silent stand-off ensued.

"Go, damn it!" Damon barked. He was not going to wait for them to settle their power struggle when Elena was in danger.

Klaus released a noisy snort of annoyance and walked into the waiting room. Damon returned to the small room Elena occupied, clutching her hand and waiting impatiently.

"I think I gave you the wrong amount to take. This is a more accurate figure." Their doctor entered and showed her clipboard to the nurse drawing Elena's blood.

"Oh. Well, you're done then, sweetie."

"Great." Elena smiled. Damon noticed that her smile was a little weak.

Elena leaned on him tiredly as they left.

"Let's find a new doctor. Two mistakes in one day? I don't really have faith in her anymore."

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm just a little sleepy now. The nurse told me I should eat something right away so my body can make more blood. I think I might take a nap when we get home too." Elena yawned.

Damon examined her nervously. She looked too pale. Rage bubbled up inside him. Klaus had behaved recklessly and put her and their unborn child in danger. He wouldn't let it happen again.

* * *

**I'm really digging writing Klaroline at the moment so you can expect more of that to come (sorry Forwood fans!). I think of Klaus as a terribly lonely and occasionally mercilessly evil little puppy that I just want to muzzle and hug forever until his hard heart softens into a real puppy heart. Btw, If you haven't seen the spoiler pictures of Damon in New York 70's grunge for episode 4x17, go do that right now. YUMMM. If they made 70's Damon into a barbie, I would totally buy all of them so I could make a room filled with 70's Damons and just swim around in it. Shut up I'm not weird ok you're weird D:/. Much love to my wonderful reviewers who read so carefully and predict so accurately *wink wink*! **

**Find me on tumblr so we can talk about Delena/TVD stuff! Check my profile on here for a link. I'm new to it so I don't have very many connections, and you guys seem awesome from your reviews ;). **


	11. Complications

_2 months before….._

* * *

Damon rested his head against Elena's as action played out on the screen before them. Elena pulled the covers up to her chin and nestled more tightly into the crook of his arms. The couch was narrow, but she enjoyed trying to fit both their bodies onto it. Ah, heaven.

Then the main character ripped off someone's arms.

Elena grimaced, but she heard Damon's heart race with excitement.

"Oh god, you love this don't you?" Elena groaned and lifted her head to look at him. Damon smirked down at her.

"We don't have to watch it… we could watch-" He picked up her choice of rented movie and read the cover, "Hitch?" Damon's grimace matched hers.

"No, our deal is you torture me and I'll torture you. I'll sit through this horror action whatever you call it. _Then_ we watch Hitch. Those are the ruels of Guilty Pleasure Night." Elena rested her head against his chest.

"What does the baby think of Underworld?"

"She's not pleased." Elena said with a giggle, imagining that the baby would likely take her side on this one as she watched the main character pin someone to the wall with knives.

"Oh, did she tell you that? Do you two have a psychic connection now?" Damon asked as he stroked her hair from her face, amused.

Elena sat up suddenly.

"Damon."

"What?"

"Damon!" Elena was panicked.

"What?!" Damon sat up too, checking her over for something that could cause her tone.

"Something doesn't feel right. Oh… no, it doesn't feel right." Elena's eyes clouded with tears. Pain pierced her lower abdomen.

"What do you mean?"

Elena doubled over with a cry.

* * *

"Please don't scare me like that." Damon's head hung as they sat in the hospital, his hand tightly attached to hers as it had been all night.

"Sorry." Elena whispered.

Damon smiled weakly and stood up.

"Soda? Snack? We should call Caroline and make sure she figured out how to get Alaric to stop crying. Two hours would be a record for him but, for all her resemblance to a fifty's house wife, Caroline is just terrible with kids so it wouldn't surprise me." He searched in his pant pocket for his wallet.

Elena knew she shouldn't say it, but she couldn't keep it to herself anymore. She had to tell him.

"I don't think she's going to make it." Elena could barely get the words out.

Damon froze, his eyes trained on hers.

"What are you talking about? She's going to be fine. The doctor just said it."

"I don't think so…" Tears budded in Elena's eyes as she tried to communicate, without words, the horrible foreboding that had been plaguing her. "I can feel it, Damon. Something's going to go wrong. Something bad is going to happen to her."

"Hey." Damon sat back down next to her. He kissed her and took her face in his hands. "Listen to me: she's going to be fine. Why would you say that?"

"I don't know… I just feel it. I can't explain it." She shrugged. Damon swallowed hard, his piercing eyes searching hers. He cracked a small smile.

"Look at you, such a fatalist! That's my job, remember? I predict doom and gloom and you tell me it'll be rainbows and unicorns. Which is what I'm telling you now. Now stop this crazy role switching, I'm no good at this." Damon clasped her hand in both of his, smiling at her very convincingly. "She's going to be fine."

Elena nodded and matched his small smile with hers, but she did not believe him. Not this time.

* * *

"You should just tell her." Stefan insisted as they stood on the porch smoking. Elena had not yet gotten home from her late-night graduate seminar. Neither of them was allowed to smoke around her, pregnant or not, so they were indulging in her absence.

Damon eyed him, drawing on his cigarette and exhaling slowly. He did not respond.

"I'm serious. This isn't like you to hide this from her. Actually, it sounds like something I would do. And _I'm_ even telling you that you should tell her."

"Yeah, well just wait until you have a pregnant wife. You're going to be ten times worse. She's going to be calling me every five seconds to get the truth out of you." Damon rolled his eyes.

"You really think Klaus is going to hide quietly in the shadows? That isn't his style, Damon. He wants to be feared. It gives him power. He likes for his victims to know he's coming. Whether you want her to or not, she's going to find out."

Damon sighed.

"She might. But the less stress I can put on her in the meantime, the better. For now at least I'm not going to tell her." Damon took a long drag. Stefan looked at him closely.

"Why? You've never been one to prance around anyone's feelings. You always tell it straight, especially to her. Jesus, I remember when she became a vampire you just said, 'you feed or you die'. No mercy, zero consideration." Stefan turned to face him, examining him even closer.

Damon frowned at him.

"Why?"

Damon stubbed his cigarette against the railing.

"There have been a lot more problems this time. She nearly miscarried two months ago." Damon admitted quietly.

Stefan was silent.

"She thinks she's going to lose the baby. She doesn't sleep well anymore," Damon rubbed a hand over his face, finally letting the worry out, "and she hasn't been eating like she should. I think she's worried about it all the time."

"Well that's exactly the opposite of what she should be doing if that's the case."

Damon shrugged.

"If I tell her about this, I don't know what kind of effect it will have on her. She's convinced something bad is going to happen, and Klaus is the perfect vehicle for that. After what Klaus pulled yesterday, she might even be right."

Stefan was quiet for a long time. Then he put a hand on Damon's shoulder.

"Maybe it's best to stay quiet about this."

"Well, gosh, if you think so, it must be the right decision." Damon smirked, but it was a little comforting. Stefan grinned at him and took another drag on his cigarette before he stubbed it out on the railing as well.

"So... continuing with our theme of deception, what are we going to do with these so she doesn't find them?" Stefan asked, looking at the still-smoking cigarette.

"I keep the stubs in a box under the seat in my car. Empty it out ever few months." Damon laughed.

"Ah, domesticity." Stefan teased.

"Jealous?" Damon stood up and stretched.

Stefan eyed him, his smile fading a bit.

"Please. I get to ruin my lungs without anyone caring about it." Stefan dropped his cigarette in Damon's outstretched hand and walked inside to check that Alaric was still asleep in his crib.

Damon pulled out the bourbon and they had a few drinks before Elena arrived home. She didn't say hello, just trudged inside, dropped her bags and crashed on the couch.

Damon exchanged a worried look with Stefan.

"How was school?" Damon asked.

"Fine. I'm so tired… I think I'm going to take a nap." She mumbled. He could barely hear her.

"Why don't you eat something first?" Stefan prodded.

Elena lifted her head with effort and propped herself up so she could look at them over the couch.

"Are you my new OBGYN, Stefan? I think you have to graduate before you get to do that." She teased, her head resting on her folded arms.

"Come on, it's a good idea." Damon set his bourbon glass down, his insides squirming. Dark circles had formed under her eyes. Her skin was even paler than it had been yesterday.

"Naw, not hungry." Elena collapsed behind the couch again so they could no longer see her.

"You're always hungry." Damon said, trying to keep his voice light through the fear and anger that was coursing through him. It didn't help his nerves that Stefan looked so alarmed at her appearance.

Elena didn't respond.

Damon's entire body was beyond tense. He walked over and grabbed a blanket from the couch to cover her with. She smiled at him in thanks before she closed her eyes. Damon stood there studying her for a moment, then he met Stefan's gaze.

He knew suddenly that Klaus was not the only one responsible for this. He was equally to blame.

* * *

"Absolutely no more blood until she comes to term." Stefan repeated. Klaus looked between the two of them.

"Is this still going on? Haven't Damon and Elena been married for several years? Two children later? Really? You're still in love with her?"

Stefan bristled.

"She's my sister-in law. Of course I care about her."

"Oh, it's more than that." Klaus smiled.

"Agreed." Caroline interrupted him. Klaus glared at her.

"Are you going to be making all of my decisions now?"

"Until you start to make better ones, yes." Caroline huffed.

"Learning the meaning of 'careful what you wish for'?" Damon smirked, enjoying the sight of him trampled under Barbie's designer boots.

Klaus took Caroline's hand and kissed it. Caroline was startled at the action.

"Until she comes to term. That's all I'll agree to." Klaus leveled his stare on them.

"Then our previous arrangement resumes."

_We'll see about that._

* * *

The sun beat down on them as Damon sat on the bench with Alaric in his arms. He never thought he would watch muppets bump around clumsily on a stage while surrounded by a swarm of happy families on a sunny day in the park, but here he was. At least his son was enjoying it immensely. The other families in the crowd were all fanning themselves and gorging themselves on ice cream, and Damon found himself wondering where Elena could be with their own clichéd ice cream. He checked his watch. She had been gone for a while.

"You'll never guess what just happened." Elena sat down next to him a few minutes later. He couldn't help but notice she had not brought the ice cream she promised. It was very hot.

"What?" Damon swallowed hard. She looked happy, so it couldn't be what he would guess.

"Bonnie called and she and Jeremy are moving up here to start another restaurant! Matt is still thinking about it, but they think he'll cave." Elena's smile was huge.

"Thank god. Caroline is a terrible babysitter." Damon commented. This was not news to him. He, Bonnie and Jerome had all decided that this was the best course of action since Klaus had reentered the picture.

"I can't believe this! I'm so happy. We're all going to be in the same state again!" Elena transferred Alaric from Damon's lap to hers and adjusted his hat's chinstrap.

"Well, I'll go get the ice cream." Damon said.

"Sorry." She winced.

Damon stood up and left them. He was waiting in line for the ice cream when he heard the noise. He looked back at the park where they had been sitting and he noticed a crowd forming. Immediately suspecting the worst, he ditched the line and ran.

Elena had collapsed on the ground. A stranger was holding a crying Alaric and checking her pulse. The crowd gathered around her. Someone shouted for a call to 911.

* * *

**Guys, this story is destroying my study habits. Time for me to take a little hiatus (for those of you who kept up with the prequel to this... we'll see how long this lasts). But seriously, I get going on this and then I can't stop…. and then I go dry on how to get from point A to point B and I can't write for weeks! Oh the fickle worries of writers. Leave me lots of reviews to read in the meantime to get my brain juices flowing and further distract me from studying :).**

**Ok, since my hiatus is indefinite (meaning probably this weekend if you are really concerned), just keep in mind how much I love happy Delena when reading the end of this chapter and try not to freak out and unfavorite the story in the meantime. Or as Ian likes to say- "I'm not saying... I'm just saying". Have a little faith. **


	12. Trust

When Elena opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Caroline's face.

"You're awake! Oh, I've never been so worried!" Caroline's face was suddenly much, much closer.

"What's going on…?" Elena felt weak. She was so tired.

"You passed out in the park!"

She remembered being too hot, fanning herself and holding Alaric-

"Alaric!" She tried to sit up. A wave of dizziness hit her.

"He's ok, you gave him to some lady right before." Caroline gently urged her back down, her voice reassuring.

Elena settled down out of necessity. She waited for the dizziness to subside before asking,

"Where's Damon?"

"He's talking to your doctor. Elena, you have to stop ending up in here. You're going to give us all heart attacks. Jeremy nearly hopped a plane when I told him. I had to talk him off of Travelocity."

"My baby?" Elena closed her eyes, a hand over her face to shield her from Caroline's gaze. _Please, lord, don't take her away from me. Please. _

"She's fine." Caroline said softly, putting her hand on her shoulder. Elena let a breath go that was choked with a sob. She had truly thought she lost her this time.

"Really?" She smiled, feeling her stomach. She couldn't stop the tears now.

Caroline smiled and nodded. Elena laughed out of sheer relief.

Damon entered the room with the ER doctor right behind him. His face was ashen and drawn. He lit up somewhat when he saw she was awake.

He kissed her forehead gently and sat on the chair next to the hospital bed.

"Your poor husband." The doctor looked her over, shaking his head. "How am I going to keep you out of my ER?"

Elena smiled.

"What's wrong with me this time?"

"Well, you have a pretty severe case of anemia. Mild anemia is very common, especially if you've had two pregnancies that are close together. Your body simply can't make enough blood for the two of you. The good news is your body gives the iron that it has to the baby first, so it's unlikely she's been affected. The bad news is there isn't enough left over for you, which is why you've probably been tired, dizzy, and weak recently. I'm going to prescribe an iron supplement, and it's very important that you take exactly the amount I tell you. If you take it regularly, you should be back to normal in a few months."

"I don't understand how this happened. My OBGYN told me I should be fine if I took my prenatal pills." Elena was so frustrated with her stupid body. Why couldn't she just be fine for once?

"Sometimes they aren't enough. The risk of anemia can also be heightened if you normally have heavy menstrual flow, bad morning sickness, or experienced excessive blood loss recently." Elena noticed Damon and Caroline exchange a glance. She blushed at the idea that they might be contemplating her menstrual flow. Well, that wasn't it. Here morning sickness hadn't been horrible, either. Then something occurred to her.

"That doctor, Damon! My OBGYN had me come in for a blood test and she said she made a mistake on the amount to draw. I was so tired after that and I couldn't figure out why! She knew, and she didn't say anything!?" Elena was furious.

The doctor was very concerned. He advised them to talk to a lawyer right away.

When Elena looked at Damon, she expected a similar if not greater fury but all she saw was calm dejection.

"We will. Thank you. Can we have a moment alone?" Damon said, his voice abnormally quiet.

"Of course. I'll get this prescription written out and a nurse will be back to talk with you before you leave."

"Thank you." Caroline said as he left.

"Can you believe this? She _knew_ she took too much and she didn't say anything to us about what it could do to me! We really should talk to a lawyer. What a horrible person!"

Damon and Caroline were having some sort of telepathy-related staring match. Caroline shook her head in a 'no' motion and Damon broke the contact, hanging his head.

"What is going on with you two?" Elena was a little worried they weren't more upset. What else could be more pressing than this?

"Let's get out of this hospital. I'm sick of this place." Damon breathed, sounding more exhausted than she was. She grabbed his hand.

"I'm sorry. I'm always causing you stress." She said, ashamed at how fragile she was.

Damon met her eyes, and she hadn't seen him so tortured in a very long time.

"Elena, you don't need to apologize for a single thing."

* * *

"She's fine, Damon. The baby's fine. Get some rest, take a break. Call in sick from work. You look worse than she does, and she just collapsed." Caroline said gently, a rare moment of kindness in their usually torrid relationship. He had walked outside with her for- he didn't even know why, but he couldn't tell Elena, and he couldn't keep the guilt inside. When had Caroline become a confidante? He could barely stand her.

"He said the baby is at serious risk now." Damon said. Caroline stopped mid-reach for the car door, keys in hand.

"What? When you were in the hall? Why didn't he say that in the room with us?"

"I asked him not to. If Elena knows, she won't eat. She won't sleep. She'll worry all the time, and then she really will lose her. Believe me, I know her better than anyone Caroline." Damon ran a hand through his hair, letting a shaky breath go. He wished, more than anything, that he could talk to Elena about this. Blondie was hardly a close second. He couldn't stop himself now, though. All he wanted to do was sink into someone's throat and drink until he was lost in the high of the blood. He still wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not that this urge was impossible to act on.

"She's less than two months away from her due date. She can't recover fully before then. He said this level of anemia in the third term-" Damon leaned against her car, suddenly unable to breathe. He forced himself to draw deep, slow breaths. "It's not good, Caroline. And… it's all my fault. It'll be my fault if something bad happens." He nearly choked on the ugly words, a physical pain twisting his gut at the idea.

Blond hair was suddenly in his face as Caroline rushed him with a hug. She squeezed him hard.

"We're going to get through this, ok? Neither of us is going to let anything happen to that sweet baby girl. Alaric is going to have a sister, you're going to have a daughter, and Elena is going to be just fine! Repeat after me!" Caroline said, fierce determination in her eyes. As if saying it was going to change anything. Damon barely managed to scowl at her. She stepped back, hands on her hips again, staring him down.

"No."

"Repeat. After. Me."

"You repeat after me- Damon is not Klaus and he is not going to do whatever I say." Damon smirked weakly.

"There's that smirk I know and despise." Caroline beamed. She hugged him again. This time Damon fought her off.

"All right. That's enough. We're done." Damon disentangled her from him, but she was still smiling.

"Look, it's going to be fine. More likely doesn't mean certain. Now, do what I said- get some sleep and call in sick for tomorrow. Take a day to rest with Elena. Lie in bed together all day. I can't think of anything, except maybe those pills she has to take, that will help her recover faster. If you really feel guilty, that's the least you can do." Caroline opened her car door and, reconsidering for a moment, rushed him with a final hug. It was too quick for him to protest it.

"Ugh, enough!" Damon groaned after she had released him.

"Barbie." Damon's words stopped her again as she went to climb inside the car. "We appreciate what you're for doing for us with Klaus. I mean, if Elena knew, she would. Actually, she would probably kill me for letting you do it."

"_Letting _me? What am I doing with Klaus?"

Damon raised his eyebrows. Caroline shivered and her face transformed into a grimace.

"Ugh, no! It's not like that. I mean, yeah, he wants it to be. But it's definitely, _definitely_ not like that. I don't date evil. I said clean slate, not bed buddies. Ok yeah, I said 'be with', but that just means…. You know, in the vampire, hanging-out sort of way. Friends, I guess, with the potential for- jeez, I just had to explain this to him and I still have no idea-" She was chattering. He hated when she chattered. She shook her head as if to clear it, a blush running up her neck. "We're on speaking terms."

Damon shook his head.

"If you say so. My mistake." Caroline was not pleased that he didn't believe her, but they had done this dance many a time. She knew he was teasing her. She hopped back in the car.

"It's going to be fine!" She shouted out her car window at him as he trudged up the sidewalk.

Damon would never admit it to anyone, but Caroline Forbes had actually just cheered him up quite a bit.

* * *

"This is the best feeling in the world." Elena sighed as she nuzzled his chest, inhaling his wonderful, musky scent. "Ten in the morning and you're still in bed with me?" She cooed, her fingers following the chiseled lines of his chest and abdomen, a wave of pleasure settling in the bottom of her stomach as she thought about what she would do to him if she could sit up without getting dizzy. He was so beautiful in the morning light. "Maybe I should get anemia more often."

"Don't say that. I'm not going to the hospital for you anymore. We're done with that." Damon's embrace tightened and she folded her arms so he could draw her to his chest protectively.

"Sorry again."

"Don't say that either." Damon's voice had an edge of pain in it. She was quiet, thinking about that look he and Caroline had shared in the hospital. Something was going on. It wasn't like Damon to keep things from her.

"I'm going to get you some breakfast, iron-rich. Maybe some spinach?" Damon teased.

"No way, it better be waffles or you might as well forget about it." Elena grinned.

"This would be so much easier if we were still vampires. You could just drink blood and _voila,_ problem fixed." Damon said, a note of longing in his voice.

"Yeah, being human definitely has it's drawbacks."

_Blood_. It seemed like that's what her life perpetually revolved around, one way or another. Blood was either killing her or saving her.

She lamented when his warmth left her. She scooted up in bed, contemplating the silent pain she had seen in him since yesterday. Her heart told her that if Damon didn't want her to know, it was for a good reason. He always told it to her straight, so it wasn't to spare her feelings. She could count on him to do that at least. She should probably let him have his secret for now.

But her mind whispered that the secret he kept was due to his selflessness and that he was in danger of some sort and he didn't want her to worry about him, the way he had when a werewolf bit him so many years ago. He had hid it from her when he fell in love with her, too. Or maybe it had to do with the baby. Considering how she had reacted to their first miscarriage scare- crying in the middle of the night for weeks, refusing to come to bed, unable to eat…. She had been a wreck. An icy fear surged through her at the thought.

She had to know, though, if it was something that could hurt him.

Slowly she stood up, holding onto the bed until the dizziness subsided. She gingerly walked to the kitchen.

"Get back in bed, missy." Damon said as he plugged in the waffle maker.

"You're not dying are you?" Elena asked, sitting down at the kitchen table. Damon froze at the strange question. "Because that would definitely be something you should tell me."

Damon looked up at her, and that heartbreaking look she had seen at the hospital was back.

"Baby." She said softly, her hands crossed. "Don't be afraid for me." She held his gorgeous smoky eyes with hers, a look on her face that she knew he could not resist.

"I need to know if you're in danger."

Damon slowly set the ingredients he was holding down on the table. He finally looked away, and she saw the struggle in him.

"I'm not in danger."

"But you still can't tell me?"

"I'm sorry, not yet."

"Ok. But if I find out you're dying and you didn't tell me, I'm going to be pissed."

Damon barely smirked at her joke. She slid from the chair and walked over to him. He watched her, his bright blue eyes so haunting that she could not look away. When she reached him, she took one hand in hers and stroked the side of his face, soothing.

"I love you." She went up on her tip-toes to kiss him slowly. He closed his eyes at her touch, and when she drew back she saw something fragile inside of him breaking.

"I trust you." She searched his eyes, looking for a way to soothe the agony there. "I know that whatever you are keeping from me… you wouldn't do it if you had a choice."

"I'm sorry." Damon whispered.

"I trust you." She repeated with a gentle smile. "I trust you."

* * *

**Re-watching 4x09, and the look in Damon's eyes when she says she has to go see Bonnie and he's thinking about how he has to tell her to stay away from him… how is it even possible for someone to be that beautiful?! I lost followers, favorites and author alerts for that last chapter. Apparently no one appreciated the note of terrifying foreboding I left it on… imagine that :P. Hopefully this chapter gives you warm fuzzy feelings to make up for the gut-wrenching worry I left you with last time. Thanks to those who stuck with me this far ****. As always, I love reading your reviews and predictions/reactions, so keep them coming! New chapter coming your way tomorrow (possibly), so stay tuned.**

* * *

**Just got bombed with more personal drama, so that bombed my homework, and now I don't have time to write the chapter today! Sorry to preemptively promise. I'll get on it soon as I can!**


	13. Plots

"How's catching up on your work coming?" Damon asked as he started to change Alaric's diaper.

Elena moaned an indiscernible sound, sinking into her books.

"Illness isn't just expensive… it's time consuming."

"If your professors aren't understanding of the situation, you know, we could just call Tyler up and see if he fancies a snack."

"Ha ha. I don't think Caroline would appreciate that very much." Elena growled.

Damon finished wrapping the diaper. Alaric gurgled and smiled in appreciation. He kissed the boy's forehead and set him on the ground. Alaric waddled off to play with his toys in the corner of the living room.

"What if we were vampires again? Then we could just compel them to give you a break." Elena nearly dropped her book.

"What did you say?"

Damon watched Alaric chew on a brightly colored plastic toy.

"Would it be so bad? We could live longer, watch over our children and their children's children. Make sure that bastard Klaus never got his hands on them, and I'm sure there are more supernatural beings that want doppelganger blood. I wouldn't have to worry about you collapsing on me anymore... plus, you could avoid those wrinkles and white hairs that you think I don't see you checking for every morning. " He smirked at her.

"Oh don't you try to make this into a lighthearted conversation." Elena set her book down and stared at him, trying to read past the typical Damon smoke and mirrors and find the true reason behind this topic. "I think they might have a harder time explaining their incredibly young parents when they get to high school and college. More than that… as vampires, we were frozen not just outside, but inside. We didn't discover that until we turned human and started to really change and develop with our bodies. I've loved experiencing that with you. Would you really trade that in?"

"For the right price." Damon replied, his eyes still trained on Alaric.

Elena looked down at her stomach. She had definitely thought about it… but she really was enjoying humanity. It wasn't just that they could conceive now- everything was brighter, everything was more beautiful because the end was always in sight. She didn't fear death the way she thought she would. She didn't miss craving blood, either.

"Are you sure you aren't projecting your grey hair fear on me? I've seen you checking the mirror as well, buddy, so don't pretend I'm the only paranoid one in this house." Elena said playfully.

"I know you aren't. I've seen how Alaric eyes those toys, like they're going to come alive and get him. Do you know why he was crying last night? That cute stuffed pig we got him said it was going to eat him in his dream." Damon walked over and sat down in the play area next to his son. Alaric squealed with delight. He carefully picked out a toy and handed it to him expectantly.

"I don't know, Damon. This isn't something we can just talk about once." Elena sighed, rubbing her hand over her bulging stomach again.

"I know. But it might not be such a bad thing to start thinking about." Damon said, a smile on his face as he moved the toy around comically, laying a character base. Alaric clapped.

"Well, for now at least, I don't care for the idea. I love our life."

Damon sighed, breaking character. He looked at her straight.

"I know."

Alaric half-crawled, half-waddled over to Damon's knee. He grabbed it and crawled into his lap. Damon helped him out. Alaric stood to put his arms around Damon's neck. Blue eyes met blue.

"Daddy."

"Yes?"

"Daddy, dragon. Alaric, lion."

"Ok."

They exchanged toys

Elena smiled.

"He only wants to be a lion because that's what you were. Now he'll want to be a dragon."

Alaric met her eyes and she thought he might have understood her, as he did so often nowadays. He was unnervingly perceptive sometimes; his eyes were wise beyond his one and a half years. She could already tell how bright he was. "Alaric, lion."

"Yes you are, sweety. And Daddy's a dragon."

* * *

"I've called this meeting here today-"

"I called this meeting." Klaus clarified, irked.

"Sure." Damon continued without really acknowledging the statement. "Anyway, the reason I called this meeting is to threaten you."

Klaus laughed. Caroline looked between them, panicked.

"Damon, don't."

"Are you sure you want to play this game with me?" Klaus said lazily. He sat back in the chair, crossing his hands over his stomach as he grinned up at him through the heavy sunshine. They had agreed to meet at a little coffee shop downtown to keep… everyone… civil.

"You are not very good at hiding your family, Klaus." Damon smiled. Klaus narrowed his eyes at him, his smile falling. "I was right there when you daggered them, seven years ago. Seems you haven't found a reason to un-dagger them yet. I'm willing to bet that they aren't so pleased with you, as you're not a very nice person and you've likely done something or other to piss them off. You touch me and you'll never see them again. Elena and Alaric have protection spells around them, so you really can't touch them if that's what you were thinking." Damon leaned back as Klaus lunged at him.

"The witch is dead, boy. You've put her in great danger for this." Klaus scowled at Caroline, who was shaking like a leaf. But Damon had been waiting too long to say this and nothing could stop him now.

"What have you been doing for the last seven years, sticking your head in the sand? If you weren't, you would know not to mess with Bonnie. She's not the same little girl you used to step on. Not only is she the leader of a powerful coven of witches, she's one of the most powerful witches in the western hemisphere now, or so I'm told by _every_ supernatural being that I still keep in touch with. She gladly volunteered to hold this over your ass. She even laughed when I asked if she was sure she wanted to take on the risk. Believe me when I say that you don't scare her."

Klaus fought to hide his fury.

"What is it that you want?"

"You are going to leave us the fuck alone. I don't want you near Elena. I don't want you near my son. I want you to leave town. Then maybe, in a couple of centuries, when my great-great-great grandchildren all have hovercrafts and chips that give them supernatural speed and strength to kick your ass if you try anything, you'll get a little witch note from the other side telling you what part of the ocean your sorry family is buried in. Then you can hop in a submarine and try reading that apology letter to them that you've apparently spent the last seven years refining."

Klaus turned his glare from Damon to Caroline. Then he stood up with far too much aggression, nearly knocking his chair and their table over. A few people around them jumped in surprise and looked worriedly over their shoulders.

"This is far from over." Klaus's lower lip trembled with the effort to contain his wrath.

He turned from them and in a moment he was gone. Anyone who happened to be watching might have blinked and he would have disappeared. Caroline just gaped at Damon for several seconds. Then she leaned over the table to smack him anywhere she could reach.

"Do you have any idea how reckless that was? A little heads-up would have been nice! I thought we were going to calmly negotiate!" She mock whispered. She forced herself to settle down when people started to stare again.

"When have you ever known me to 'calmly negotiate'?" Damon rolled his eyes, lifting a hand to call a waiter over.

Caroline took another moment to finish her huffing. Then a slow smile spread over her face.

"Is that really true? Everything that you said?"

"Yup." Damon grinned. "Fool-proof plan. Bonnie has become exponentially more useful."

"So where are they hidden?"

"I said _fool_-proof. That stays between me and the witch."

Caroline clucked at him angrily. She stole a chip from the middle of the table and crunched it loudly.

"Lunch?"

Damon considered it. He could still barely stand her, but maybe he could learn to like her if he tried.

"If it's quick."

* * *

**I got a couple of clarifying requests in the reviews, so if you care about fact checking ( I'm totally like this so I understand completely), you can read my long-winded response to the details of Elena's severe anemia and how Klaus let that happen. If you're willing to live in the realm of suspension of disbelief, then no need. **

**Elena's anemia- so the deal with anemia isn't about how much blood you make, it's about iron stores that the body builds up over time that get depleted (through many ways, but pregnancy is a big one). Even when the body makes new blood, if it doesn't have enough iron the blood can't carry oxygen to the cells, which is what blood is for. Replenishing the body's stores of iron takes a long time- several months at least. Pregnant women aren't supposed to donate blood because it is so common for them to be mildly anemic since they have to make blood for two people. On top of that, their body actually requires more blood than normal. Mild anemia usually isn't a problem. Elena has severe anemia, which is where the risk comes in for the baby and her, especially during childbirth when Elena is losing even more blood. **

**To clarify why Klaus, the guy who plans everything so well that he always has a 2****nd**** back-up plan, didn't predict this health crisis- Klaus doesn't care about the baby since they have one child already and that's enough to pass on the doppelganger line. He cares that Elena survives. So in my brain, when he compelled her, he said something like, "take an amount so that Elena will survive and I will be able to make x amount of hybrids" not, "take enough so the baby won't be in danger". In his mind, they can always have more children as long as she's alive. The doctor, being compelled, didn't argue this and he didn't give her a chance to. **


	14. Visitors

When Caroline walked through her door, he was there. On her couch. Again. She was immediately afraid. During Damon's threatening speech she had definitely felt the heat directed her way.

"And here I was thinking that we were beginning to be something like friends." Klaus said, staring blankly off into the darkness of her apartment. Caroline switched on the lights. "At least a warning would have been appreciated."

"Would you believe me if I told you I didn't know he was planning any of that?"

Klaus looked at her and she couldn't quite tell but he might have been crying. Alone, in the dark, in her apartment. She didn't know how she felt about that.

"Did you?"

She let a steady breath go, trying to calm her nerves. Upset Klaus was synonymous with unpredictable, volatile Klaus. She didn't need a reminder of how much he could kick her ass if he wanted. Not that he had ever tried, but she knew in her bones that this man was powerful and terrifying and not to be taken lightly.

"No, I didn't."

He was in front of her in an instant.

"Really?"

"Yes."

There was suddenly nothing frightening about him. She saw from this distance that he _had_ been crying. With how he treated his family, she had no idea they meant so much to him.

His hand reached out to her and she couldn't push it away. He was so pitiful.

"Caroline." He looked at the ground, the silence encircling them like a warm blanket the longer he paused. His hand was warm on hers. "I don't want to be alone for another thousand years. Just tell me what I can do to win you over." He admitted finally, his voice cracking. No tears, no trembling lip. Just the pull of his terribly lonely eyes.

Caroline was touched by the sincerity of his words. She reached up and tentatively, for the first time, allowed herself to brush the curly blond hair that in spite of her terror and hatred for him had always secretly tempted her.

"You have to start treating people better. Put other's above your own safety." Caroline said gently. His hair was soft and just the slightest bit wiry. Klaus closed his eyes and moved into her touch, a shaky breath washing over her. Caroline was unsure how to respond to such an honest reaction.

"You have to let yourself love and be loved. You have to trust. You have to be vulnerable." She whispered, hypnotized by the way he was looking at her. "And you definitely, definitely can't kill people." She smiled a little. Klaus did not return it. His hand brushed over her cheek, and shivers cascaded from where their skin met. His eyes skimmed over every part of her face and his touch was so soft on her hair, her skin, and her lips. "Yeah, sometimes you're going to get burned. But you'll get so much in return that it won't even matter."

"That's what you want from me?"

"Yes." Caroline was so confused as to why he affected her the way he did. He was _evil._ She still remembered holding Tyler after he killed his mother. She remembered Jenna's funeral. The memories iced her heart to his warm touch. Her hand fell away.

"But this isn't a change you make for someone else. You have to make it for yourself, because _you_ want to."

"I've had to be very cautious to survive for so long. These qualities… they don't come easily to me." Klaus said. His sea green eyes had caught her again and she was drawn into them against her will.

"They don't come easily to anyone." Caroline said.

"I want to try. When I look at you, I want to believe in those things. Trust, honesty… vulnerability." The words were not easy for him to say. Caroline blushed a little. It was the most earnest statement she had ever heard from him.

He leaned in and his smell overwhelmed her. He smelled like the forest at night.

"Klaus." She stopped him, but just barely. He hovered over her lips, his wonderful smell nearly reversing her decision. He stroked her hair and she closed her eyes against the temptation.

"You have to show me." She said, steeling her resolve and opening her eyes. "Prove to me that you can be the person I think you can be, even with everything that you've done." She put her hands on his chest to push him away. _Jesus_, that was firm. She wet her dry lips.

"Alright." Klaus stepped back, his eyes still fixed on hers. "I'll try."

* * *

Damon was already tired from work by noon, but he barely felt it. He was very excited for Alaric's first day at the zoo. Alaric loved animals. Unfortunately, he had gotten called in to work half a day, but then he was driving down to San Diego to meet Elena and Caroline. He had allowed her incredibly chatty presence because she could keep an eye on Elena in his temporary absence, considering that Elena still wasn't in top shape to be running around in the heat of summer.

He stopped by the house on his way to change out of his suit. He slipped off his shoes and walked into the living room.

_Elena?_

_No._

Dark curls, skin-tight black pants, a form-fitting tank top that bared skin in the most alluring places: Katherine. Damon's heart turned to stone. He was so grateful that Elena and Alaric were fifty miles away.

"Katherine."

She was examining a family photograph when he walked in. She turned slowly on her heel to face him, her eyes flirtatious and dangerous.

"Hello, Lover."

Damon was nauseous as a million thoughts raced through his head. _Was Elena really ok? Alaric? Bonnie. Protection spell. Could Katherine have found a way around it? How long ago did I talk to them on the phone? How long has this bitch been in my house? How did she get invited in? How long has she known about us? Watching us? Following us? What could she possibly want from us? Is she here to ruin my life all over again? _

Damon pulled himself together externally. Katherine smirked at his shock before she began to slink about the room, picking a family photo album off the shelf and flipping through it.

"I can't say I'm pleased to see you. Why are you here?" Damon asked finally, fear still coursing through his heart. All he could think about was what he would do to her if Elena and Alaric were hurt.

"What a cute little boy. He has your eyes. And my smile." She purred.

Damon clenched his palms so tightly the nails cut through the skin.

"I'm sorry, Damon. It's nothing personal." Katherine snapped the photo album shut. Her eyes cooled to reveal the ice bitch inside, dropping the flirtatious pretense. Damon waited, trying to mask the horror that those words incurred in him. "I got a little visit from some new flunkies of Klaus the other day. Imagine my surprise when I realized Elena was back to hybrid-producing capabilities. Ten guesses as to who's on the top of Klaus' hit list for those nasty little fanged wolves." Her eyes flashed and she pinned him to the wall in half a second.

"Ten more guesses for who nearly got a fatal nip. I don't care to have a reason to come begging to Klaus for my life. He caught me once and I'll never let it happen again." Katherine's eyes were blood red and her fangs were bared. Damon felt like his throat might collapse from her strength. She let him go nearly as quickly as she pinned him there. He fell to the ground, choking and gasping. She began to slink about again.

"So I figure I can kill your girlfriend, or wife or whatever you two crazy kids call yourself these days, and worsen my situation with Klaus." Katherine pulled a glass from the cupboard and poured herself some wine. "Or I can use our similarities to my advantage for the millionth time, call the witch in a fake panic to find out the location of Klaus' stolen family, un-dagger them and let them exact their revenge in a predictable manner." She sipped delicately at the wine.

"Mmm, you still have expensive taste, Damon."

"No… no, Katherine, you didn't." Damon could barely get the words out. He had never felt such despair in his very long life.

"I almost feel bad. I don't think Alaric will remember her face. But my child never knew mine, so… life's a bitch." Katherine downed the wine and set the empty glass down on the kitchen table.

"One final tip, Damon. The coffee shop was a good plan, really. Klaus wouldn't likely kill you with so many people watching, at least not before you had gotten your entire threat out. But public places… there's so many ears listening, you have to be careful what you say. And you invite into your house." Katherine stood over him, watching him as he fought to gain control of his breath again.

"I'm sorry, Lover. It really is nothing personal."

* * *

Elena took a breather on an animal-engraved bench while Caroline went to the restroom. Anemia made her very easily exhausted. Between a fussy Alaric, the kicking baby in her stomach, and the hot, humid air, she was about to call Damon and see if they could cut the trip short.

"So it's true." Elena looked up at the familiar voice. Elijah was sitting next to her on the bench. Her heart literally skipped from the shock.

"You really are human again."

"Elijah… Why are you here? How did you find me? Does Klaus know about me?"

"How is this possible? You found a cure?"

"There's none left, I'm sorry Elijah. Please tell me- does Klaus know I'm human?" Elena willed her heart to slow down. She wanted to scream at him to answer her questions first. _Klaus._ This was the absolute worst time for Klaus to come after her, but she couldn't say that she hadn't been expecting it. Always in the back of her mind was the fear that he would check back in on her and discover their secret.

"Elena… he's already been using your blood to make hybrids, so yes, I believe he does." Elijah sighed.

"What?!" Elena whispered, her heart still pounding in her ears. Alaric started to fuss. She popped a binky in his mouth.

"That's the primary reason I came to see you. Katerina released us from Niklaus's coffins, and now Kol and Rebekah are looking for a way to punish him for imprisoning them once more. Katerina told them where you are. They're coming for you. While I am displeased with my brother, I have always been fond of you. You helped me once before, and I feel ashamed that I responded without honor. I will do what I can to help you now and speak to my siblings, but they are very stubborn. Kol and Rebekah are… impulsive creatures for the length of their lives. You need to be prepared if I cannot dissuade them. Rebekah, especially, does not seem to care for you."

Elena could only gape at him, still processing the complete 180 her life had just taken. She grasped Alaric's stroller tightly.

"Well what should I do?" Elena was starting to shake from the terror. She remembered exactly how much Rebekah did not 'care for' her.

Elijah pondered calmly and his lack of emotion almost soothed her.

"I am sorry Elena but I don't see a future where you keep your life, your children's life and your humanity. I regret to say it, but at least one of your options must be a return to vampirism. I can provide that, if that is the case. Any other options that you can think of that might be preferable?"

"I'll talk to Bonnie. There must be something she can do." Elena whispered, her mind racing.

"Don't return home." Elijah warned her. "I'll be nearby, out of sight. I'll keep an eye on you until you have had a chance to speak to your partner."

"Damon." Elena said faintly.

"Really? Of the two, I would have guessed Stefan. Interesting."

"Damon! He went home after work!" Elena felt like she was going to faint.

Elijah's eyes darkened.

"I would call. Now."

* * *

**Taking a risk with this chapter since last time I ended on such a note most readers were very displeased. Trust me! I'll remind you once again that I love happy domestic Delena. This is technically a comedy/romance, so I promise not to angst too much. Oblivion, the studio version, is out on youtube so I've been listening to that nonstop. I'm pretty sure that, and Skinny Love, are my two favorite songs from the show now. Plus they're both featured during Delena moments so I get to be in a perpetual mental state of fan-girling when I listen to them. This show really kills it with music selection. Ok! Remember! Don't freak out! And leave me some fun reviews to relieve the next 42 hours of studying for my chemistry test DX. **


	15. Originals

Caroline was still thinking about the cute little Koalas she and Alaric had squealed over together when she exited the bathroom and came face-to-face with Elena's pale and terrified expression. She noticed who was standing behind her she realized why: Elijah.

"Oh no."

_If he's free, Damon's entire plan was shot to hell. Rebekah, Kol…_

"Caroline, obviously this is the big secret that you and Damon felt you had to keep from me. You can explain it all to me later, but for now Damon is in danger. Katherine set Kol and Rebekah free and pointed them our way, hinting that killing us would be the perfect revenge on Klaus."

"No no no…." Caroline looked from Alaric's sweet, grumpy face to Elijah's indifferent gaze and finally to Elena. She took a breath to steady the spinning world around her. "What do we do?"

"I need to go to Damon, I can't get ahold of him. You talk to Bonnie, see if there's anything she can do. For now Elijah has promised to help and protect me, but I need Alaric away from those maniacs at all costs and under your supernatural protection in case they come after him."

Caroline nodded, drowning in the bottomless pit of guilt she felt for her part in all of this. Elena turned to Elijah and nodded. He lifted her carefully and in the blink of an eye they were gone.

Caroline picked Alaric up from the stroller and hugged him to her, glad for his presence. She dialed Klaus' number in her other hand while she bounced the baby on her hip.

* * *

"Well Kol is closer to a flat-out maniac than Rebekah. Rebekah is spiteful, but she can be surprisingly soft-hearted, especially when it comes to children. She won't hurt Elena when she sees she's pregnant. Alaric is equally safe from her. Again, Kol is more unpredictable. I thought these people had protection spells around them, anyway, so what are you worried about? That doesn't seem like something Damon would bluff about." Klaus watched as she rocked Alaric with one arm and checked her phone with the other.

"At least that's something. They do, he wasn't bluffing, but keeping a protection spell going requires constant effort and energy drain. Bonnie couldn't do it without her coven, and she could only do it for two people, so Damon chose Elena and Alaric. He's completely unprotected, which wasn't a problem when he had something to hold over you. Now, though, I'm willing to bet that Kol and Rebekah will take advantage of that."

Caroline checked her phone again. Bonnie had simply texted her: _I'm on it._ She hadn't responded to anything after that. Caroline hoped that that meant something good.

A hand rubbed her shoulder soothingly and she looked over to see that Klaus was next to her, his alluring eyes catching her once more and calming her somehow.

"I'll take care of this." He said simply.

* * *

"Damon!" What a beautiful sound. Damon lifted his head a little and joy filled him as her hands fussed over his bruises and cuts. She moved him partly into her lap, hugging him to her. He just stared at her for a moment, not quite believing that she was here, unharmed, touching him. In the darkest parts of his mind, he had feared that might never happen again.

"Did Rebekah and Kol do this to you?" She was trembling and her eyes were so fearful. He lifted a hand to stroke her fear away. It hurt to do, but he needed to touch her.

Before she vamped off, Katherine had given him a few kicks to keep him down until Rebekah and Kol arrived. The injuries probably looked worse than they actually were.

"You're safe."

"For now, Love, but we have to leave."

"Katherine."

"She did this?"

Damon managed a nod.

A hand that was not Elena's was suddenly before him, and the metallic scent of blood filled his nose. He noticed that Elena was not alone.

"Drink." Elijah frowned.

Damon looked back at Elena, and she nodded vehemently, moving Elijah's hand to his mouth. Damon drank, surprised at how disgusting blood tasted after more than a hundred years craving it, and felt its magic immediately begin to work on him. He sat up in Elena's arms when strength returned to him. A few moments later the pain was gone. He hugged her, breathing in her wonderful scent. She shook like a leaf, but her return of his embrace was fierce.

"You're ok," She mumbled into his shirt, "you're ok."

"Elena, we need to move." Elijah reminded her.

"So you picked our team." Damon smirked.

Elijah leveled his stare on him.

"I consider Elena a friend."

"How about me, Dracula?"

Elijah looked him over.

"What ever happened with you and Stefan? He was so well-mannered."

Elena looked at Damon lovingly, the gentle smile of an angel lighting her face.

"He wasn't Damon."

* * *

"So what do we do now?"

"We wait."

They were sitting outside the Salvatore house in Klaus's sleek, black, and obviously very expensive, car. After much deliberation over the safest place to keep Alaric, she came up with no better answer than Klaus's immediate side. Despite the potentially dangerous situation they were in currently, she knew that sticking by him was nearly a guarantee for Alaric's well being.

"What are you going to do when they get here?"

"Talk."

"That's it?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure there will be some fighting involved."

Caroline eyed him.

"And you're really going to do this? For Damon? Weren't you just threatening him yesterday?"

"Not for him." Klaus was watching the house vigilantly, but now he turned to her. "For you, Caroline."

Caroline's breath hitched. She wished they weren't so alone in the car right now. Well, they weren't really alone. She pretended to check on Alaric in the backseat in an effort to hide that her heart suddenly started to race.

Klaus's eyes did not leave her.

With no excuse not to anymore, she met them. Her heart was still pounding in her ears, and her breath grew more and more ragged as she watched desire transform his features. Klaus's hand slid over hers, travelling from her hand to her knee. Once more, shivers spiraled out from where they touched.

_Damn it._ She couldn't make herself break from his gaze as he leaned into her. Then his lips were on hers and his hand was travelling further up her knee. A whimper of want escaped her as he brushed her waist and caressed her sides, his end target clear. He pulled her flush against his very firm chest and Caroline felt helpless for the first time since her return to vampirism.

A knock came on the window.

She broke the kiss. The sounds of their breathing filled the car, fast and hard, as they looked at one another for a split second. Wonder clouded Klaus's eyes. She had no idea what her expression might be at this moment.

"Oh brother… I know this is your car. Completely out of place in this neighborhood. Come on out to play." Rebekah's sing-song voice called.

"They can't see inside, remember? Tinted windows. Stay in here with Alaric." Klaus breathed, his hands reluctant to relinquish their victorious placement, just inches from her breasts. With one last look of pure desire, Klaus tore himself from her, calming his breathing before opening the door.

Caroline stayed very quiet, listening and trying not to think about what she had just let happen.

"Little sister. Brother."

"What, are you and Katherine working together now? Did she tell you we were coming after the doppelganger? What _is_ that bitch's game?" It was Kol's voice.

"I have other sources. I would not say Katerina and I are on friendly terms."

"Nick. Long time no see thanks to you and your dagger-happy tendencies." Rebekah said, her tone scathing.

"You were intentionally sabotaging my plan. Again. Kind of like our current situation."

"And you just forgot to un-dagger us for seven years?" It wasn't quite a yell but it was close.

"Well I wasn't in a hurry to face this reaction."

"So what's your solution Niklaus, dagger us again?" Kol growled. "That may be more difficult this time. Fool me once, brother..."

"I'm not going to dagger you, but you had better abandon this plan as quickly as you started it."

"Or what?"

"Bekah, do you really want to cross me? When has that ever worked out to your advantage? Don't you remember Prague, 1340? Or perhaps Venice, 943, brings to mind a better example."

"It may very well hurt later, but it'll feel good now." Rebekah spat.

"Well, you still won't touch the doppelganger. Elena is pregnant. She has a little boy with Damon, and another one in the oven."

Silence.

"Oh come on, Bekah, you can't be serious. That's really going to stop you?"

"I may be a monster, but there are certain things I won't do. Are you saying that you would hurt her, knowing that?" Rebekah replied, her voice quieted.

"We've killed plenty of mothers."

"I won't hurt a baby, Kol. As much as I hate that girl, I draw the line there. You should too."

"Look, I am sorry for daggering you. There's no need to do this."

"Niklaus… what's gotten into you?" Kol laughed. "Apologizing? Have you ever heard such a thing, Bekah?"

A long pause.

"Do you mean that?" Rebekah sounded hopeful.

"Yes." The words were difficult for Klaus to say.

"What _has_ gotten into you, Nick?" Rebekah's voice was so quiet Caroline, even with her super hearing, almost didn't catch it. "I almost believe you."

"Here."

"The daggers." Rebekah was stunned.

"Now you have them. No need to worry about me. So why don't you just forget about revenge and live your lives. I do regret what I did, betraying you. You can believe me or not, but I won't do it again, and I've already suffered for it. When you've lived for a thousand years, what's seven years to you, really? Is it worth fighting over?"

"Ugh, you two make me sick."

Caroline recognized the sound of a vampire speeding away.

"I don't think he believes you, Nick."

"Do you?"

"I'm not sure yet."

* * *

"Rebekah, at least, has said that she won't hurt you." Caroline reported to Elena by phone. "I'm pretty sure Kol will still try."

"Once he realizes he can't hurt me, he'll go after Damon." Elena sighed. "Klaus is actually trying to protect Damon?"

"Well… yes."

"Why? He always has an angle." Elena growled.

"I think he's trying to do it for me."

Elena paused, unsure how to interpret her tone.

"Caroline, I can't believe you've been a vampire all this time. I'm so sorry he did that to you."

"Actually, it's for the best. I think this is what I wanted all along, I was pretty miserable as a human . As for Klaus… don't worry about him for now. I don't think he'll be a problem for you guys, and he's been pretty protective of Alaric."

Elena ached at the thought of her child.

"Give him a kiss from Damon and me, and tell him Mommy and Daddy will be back soon."

"I will."

"Please… stay safe." Elena hung up.

Elijah had brought them to his personal estate, an old Victorian mansion somewhere in Louisiana. Despite the sometimes overwhelmingly lush swamp-like plant life, it was a beautiful house on a beautiful stretch of land. Elena and Damon had taken a walk to call Caroline and get some alone time to talk. Damon explained everything while they sat under a high-arching gazebo they found on the edge of the estate. Though she was angry with him, she understood why he did what he did and forgave his deceit. It was difficult to stay angry with him, especially after the day they'd had. She hadn't seen him beaten up like that since they were vampires together.

"So…" Damon took her hands in his and urged her to sit next to him on the white wood bench. She didn't realize that she had been pacing since she hung up.

"Bonnie's coming up here." Elena said, getting lost in his eyes. She loved this man so much. When she thought she'd lost him today… she'd gone completely on autopilot until she saw he was alive.

"Thank god. Someone useful." Damon breathed.

The night air was starting to set in and the occasional firefly lit up the dimness ushered in by the setting sun. Elena stroked the back of his hand with her thumb. She didn't want to say this.

"Damon, she might be able to deal with Kol, and Rebekah, and even Klaus, but… this is _us_. How long will the supernatural stay out of our lives, even if we get through this alive? Bonnie can't keep the protection spell going forever. Can we really keep our children safe like this?"

His arms encircled her and his lips soothed hers.

"I know." Damon sighed into her hair. "I know."

* * *

**HOW DID KATHERINE GET IN THE HOUSE? Good question. Um… let's pretend I didn't forget that vampires need to be invited in and that she checked in on them before Elena was pregnant and impersonated her to get an invite. There's also the whole 'rented house' thing. Wasn't there something about how vampires could enter rented houses freely…? As for the scary Rebekah and Kol threat… well, I think Klaus has proved that Originals are not above burning houses down to get at their inhabitants. **

**Poll time- who's ok with me edging in the Klaroline story (like I've been doing) and who's not? Nobody has really commented on it so I'm not sure how you're taking it. Review please :D!**


	16. Temptation

Elena's stay at Elijah's mansion was pretty great. She felt like she was back at the Salvatore boardinghouse again, stepping back in time to elegant paintings on the wall and rich-smelling hardwood floors. Elijah was never there, off doing whatever it is you do when you've been alive for a thousand years, so she and Damon had a second honeymoon. A second honeymoon plagued by constant worry for Alaric and the future of their unborn child.

Elijah's estate was technically owned by his old spinster neighbor down the very long dirt road, though she wasn't aware that she'd signed the paperwork for it, in order to keep unwanted vampires like Rebekah and Kol out, so they felt pretty safe at night. Elena called Damon's work to explain that he had been in a terrible accident, life-flighted to another state, and that he would be ok but in recovery indefinitely. She had already explained to her professors that she would be out for the end of the semester to deliver, so she had Damon call to tell them she went into labor early.

The question of their return to vampirism would have to wait until Elena delivered. In the meantime, they were trying to enjoy their forced vacation.

"She's kicking me again." Elena actually smiled. "She's still so strong, even through all of this. I think she's going to be more work than Alaric because she's always moving."

Damon fed her a grape off the fruit plate he'd brought back from the kitchen, set it down on their bed stand, and laid down on the bed next to her. She loved how messy his hair was in the morning.

"I know you didn't want to talk names until she's born…" Elena sucked in a breath. She'd been convinced that the baby wouldn't make it to term so she didn't want to get too attached. She hadn't said this to him, of course, but she was was sure he knew why. Now, she was only a week from her due date and the baby was very much alive. "But we have quite a bit of free time on our hands now, so it might be a good time."

Elena patted her stomach, trying to calm the squirming child.

"What about Jenna?"

"Dead relative name again?" Damon grinned.

"Oh come on, it's a nice way keep their spirit alive." She shoved him lightly. Then, on a more serious note, "Besides, there's so many to pick from…"

"No! No gloom while we're talking baby names." Damon insisted. He pulled her over so she was leaning against his chest. Happy wasn't difficult to accomplish with his warmth all around her.

"You must have some ideas since you brought it up."

"I like Olivia." Damon said, his hand on her stomach to feel the squirming of the baby. "Wow, how do you sleep at night?"

"Not well." Elena giggled.

"Any emotional significance to the name?"

"Nope, none whatsoever. It's just a name I liked when I was human the first time in the 1800's. A name that won't remind us of any of our dead loved ones."

"Hint hint." Elena finished for him with a laugh.

"I'm just saying." Damon caressed her stomach, leaving trails of patterns.

"Then people would call her Liv or Livy."

"Or Olive." Damon snorted, then seemed to realize that this was a real possibility. "Of course, I'd kill them if they called her that." He said very seriously.

"I think that's cute. I'd probably call her that. Jenna's full name was Jennifer."

Damon let a theatrical sigh out. Elena laughed again.

"You're going to be stubborn about this, aren't you?"

"I might settle for a middle name."

"First name Olivia, middle name Jenna?"

"That sounds acceptable. I picked Alaric's first name, so it's only fair. Olivia… Ok, I like it, you win."

"Excellent." Damon kissed the side of her head. She might have been more upset about Damon's objection to 'Jenna' if she hadn't noticed the twinge that went through him every so often when he said Alaric's name.

"Well, I better get some work done today."

"Are you really going to try to keep up with your graduate classes?" Damon asked incredulously.

"Hey, I kept up with high school through all of the Salvatore-induced supernatural drama. I'll be damned if I've lost my touch now."

"Graduate school and high school are a little different…"

"Look, all I have to do is read an obscene amount and write a bunch of really long papers. It's cake." Elena joked, groaning inside at the thought of how much she had to do if she was really going to attempt this. Still, she wasn't going to let Rebekah and Kol destroy her semester of hard work, not when she'd fought through the tail end of her pregnancy with A's and B's in her classes.

"Alright, if you say so. I'll just enjoy all this free time on my own, then." Damon smirked at her, standing up and stretching. He was shirtless and the morning light lit him in a way that made Elena wish she wasn't so damnably pregnant so she could leap on him and seduce him on this giant, luxurious bed. Elena sighed at the thought.

"Something wrong?"

"No…" Elena blushed.

Damon eyed her and she knew he recognized her expression.

"Are you thinking something smutty, Elena Gilbert?"

Elena didn't respond but she was still blushing. Arrogance hooded Damon's eyes and his smirk grew. He crawled back onto the bed, slinking up over her like a cat. She wanted to hide as he knelt over her and examined her so closely with that ridiculously arousing expression on his face.

"You want to jump me, don't you?" He whispered, his voice low and seductive.

"No." Elena shook her head, embarrassed. She was reluctant to have sex so late in her pregnancy, but Damon kept insisting that it didn't bother him. He knew she wanted it but resisted acting on it so he teased her at every opportunity, probably because he thought it might break down her slightly immature insecurities and he might finally get some.

"You do." He whispered, his face so close she felt his breath on her lips. She wanted to escape, but he had her trapped.

"You want to do naughty things to me…" Damon grinned, arrogant. His body was moving over her in a very suggestive way.

"Damon, I'm not going to. You'll just have to wait a couple of months." Elena insisted. Her body was screaming a different story at her, though, and he knew it.

"Yes, my lady." He acquiesced, his eyes smoldering as he backed off and stood up from the bed. He stretched again, knowing that she was watching, prolonging the pose and somehow making it sexual. Eventually she threw a pillow at him and he laughed before leaving the room.

Elena pulled a book off the pile she had brought with her and mentally resigned her self to focus as she opened to the first page.

* * *

"I suck at this."

Caroline burst through the doors that Klaus had opened for her, holding a crying Alaric to her chest. Klaus stepped back to let her pass.

"Hello, Caroline."

"Do you know anything about babies? I think if I break Alaric, Elena and Damon may never forgive me. I really don't want to screw up with him, but I don't want to call them for every little thing so they think I can't handle this. He just won't stop crying. I've never had him for more than a couple of hours. I don't know what to do." She wailed, trying to pop a binki in his mouth for the seventh time. Just as he had the last seven times she tried, he angled his face away and cried louder.

"I don't have much experience with children, no, but I'm sure I have more than you do. I have been alive for a thousand years." A slow smile spread over Klaus's face as he watched her.

"Then help me!" She growled in frustration, shooting him a glare. Klaus approached her and gently lifted Alaric from her hands, still grinning at her like he was about to laugh out loud at her misery.

"You fed him?"

"He won't take the bottle."

"He's kind of old for a bottle. Do you know -"

"Yes, he still drinks formula from bottles. He also eats baby food. He's in transition. I covered this with Elena already. All I have is formula, I'll go to the store tomorrow for the other stuff." Caroline interrupted him, impatient.

"Did you heat it up?"

"No…"

"Well, go heat it up. But not too hot, just about body temperature." Klaus said, his gravelly voice smug. Caroline wanted to attack him. She might have if he hadn't been holding Alaric. Considering the amount of sexual tension in their relationship lately, though, that probably wasn't a good idea regardless.

"You are such a single child."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Caroline said as she returned from the overly-furnished kitchen. Klaus's house was spotless and expensive looking. She wouldn't be surprised if the kitchen was featured in several housekeeping magazines.

"I had four siblings. Back then, if you were older, you took care of the younger children as soon as you could walk." Klaus explained. Alaric's cries had died down to sniffles. "You, on the other hand, don't seem to have even laid eyes on a child of this age before. Be glad you'll never have to be a mother."

Caroline felt a pang.

"You're right, I would probably be a terrible mother. Maybe it's a good thing I can't have kids. Just one more reason to be happy I'm a vampire now." Caroline collapsed into one of the plush chairs surrounding the coffee table, enjoying the semi-quiet that Alaric's cries had drowned out for the last forty-five minutes.

Klaus watched her carefully.

"That's not what I said. It's not rocket science, you would learn. You might have a steeper learning curve than most, but you would learn. Besides, now you get to be the fun aunt to this little guy. That's much better than motherhood. Motherhood is exhausting."

Caroline looked at him.

"Don't do that."

"What?" Klaus was confused.

"Don't be nice to me and then horrible to everyone else. It's confusing."

"I'm not horrible to everyone else… remember, I gave the daggers back to Kol and Rebekah. I might have even saved Damon's life. Rebekah is the more cunning of the two." His voice was quiet and manipulative, his grin more seductive than smug now.

Caroline didn't respond right away. His expression made it clear that he was thinking about the kiss between them in the car before.

"That was a mistake." Caroline mumbled.

"Giving the daggers back? Saving Damon?" Klaus snorted.

"No, that was a nice gesture for once. I was talking about the kiss. It was a mistake." Caroline said. Finesse had never been her strong point.

"Oh." Klaus's eyebrows shot up at her boldness. He looked away, but his expression was unchanged. "You make quite a few mistakes with me. Are you sure they're actually mistakes?"

Caroline thought about that seriously.

"Yes. I'm not convinced that this new Klaus is here to stay yet, and until I am, nothing like… _that _can happen again."

"Whatever you say." Klaus's smile grew.

The microwave beeped.

"Baby bottle is ready!" Caroline chimed.

"You microwaved it?" Klaus laughed.

"Yeah… was I not supposed to?"

"Oh dear." Klaus shook his head and walked towards the kitchen. "You are so lucky I'm here." He whispered to Alaric.

"I heard that. Super hearing, you ass."

* * *

When Caroline woke up on Klaus's couch, it was well into the night. She took a moment to figure out where she was. It had been a long time since she had woken up in somewhere other than her own apartment, almost an insultingly long time. It was quiet, so Klaus must have gotten Alaric to sleep too.

No way was she going to sleep there all night. She noticed that Klaus had pulled a blanket over her while she slept. _No, not charming. Not sweet. He's evil, Caroline. EVIL._ She stood up, yawning.

Even though she was terrible with him, and he was amazing with him, she wasn't going to leave her best friend's baby with Klaus. At least with her, she was 100% sure no one was going to snack on him or leave him unattended or something. Even if he was crying and miserable for 50% of that time.

Caroline couldn't help noticing how tasteful and sophisticated his bedroom was. Klaus had fallen asleep with the baby next to him. He looked so sweet and harmless beside the child.

Caroline quietly lifted Alaric from the bed, trying not to wake Klaus. Unfortunately, Alaric was not pleased with being woken up and he immediately started to cry again.

"Shhhh, no, I'll let you sleep when we get home, please don't cry." Caroline pleaded with the child.

"Never wake a sleeping baby. Or a sleeping Original." Klaus murmured, his eyes fluttering open.

"Sorry. What do I do? Now he's upset again."

"Carorine!" Alaric cried, mangling her name. "Auntie Carorine…"

"Go back in time and undo what you just did." Klaus rolled onto his back, laughing at her for the millionth time that night. His shirt was unbuttoned, and she could see the dusting of blond hair over strong muscle and pale, freckled skin. He tucked his ands behind his head, looking over at her. Unfortunately, he caught where her gaze was directed before she looked away.

Caroline scowled at him and placed the child back on the bed. Alaric actually stopped crying, closed his eyes, and returned to his previous state of sleep.

"It looks like you can't leave." Klaus whispered. His eyes were as flirtatious as his tone.

"I guess I'll go make up the couch." Caroline said, hurriedly breaking eye contact. That was one mistake she would not make. _Nope, not going to happen._

"Do you want me to come?"

"What?" Caroline stopped in her tracks.

"I can help. It folds out into a bed... might be more comfortable." Klaus stood, his voice low and quiet, still smirking. He was teasing her, she realized. She almost didn't move until he ran into her, the shock of what she thought he had been implying still holding her in place.

"Oh. Yeah, ok. Thanks."

She turned away from him and walked out of the room, hiding her blush.

* * *

**How amazing was the Hayley/Klaus scene?! Ok, it was **_**Hayley**_**, who I'm not a fan of, but it was also Klaus****! Way to go, Joseph Morgan, you got one whole sex scene in your three seasons on the show! I'll be really sad if we don't get at least a Klaroline kiss before Klaus disappears onto the spinoff. Buildup buildup buildup… and then nothing. He hasn't been doing so well with Caroline, lately, though… not a good move on his part in this last episode. Any other Delena baby names? Olivia Jenna Salvatore isn't set in stone yet. They did de-Grayson Alaric, after all. I'm curious what you guys think. I was thinking about 'Elizabeth' maybe… Let me know! Also, was I the only one who liked the rooftop kiss in 4x17? I thought it was kind of a nice moment of weakness for Damon. After all the crap, at least he gets to kiss her without really feeling bad (though I'm sure he still feels bad since her humanity is off and that's tragic).**

**BTW, I kept saying you can find me on Tumblr through a link on my profile page. Turns out that link wasn't working for, oh I don't know, since I put it up there. That is now fixed. SOOOO come find me on tumblr by way of my profile page! We'll squeal over TVD together :). **


	17. Witchcraft

"Hello, peasant. I wonder what you two could have possibly been up to last night." Caroline's eyes snapped open at the sound of Rebekah's voice.

"Leave her alone or I'll throw you out, Rebekah." Klaus's voice echoed from the kitchen amongst the sounds of breakfast being made.

Caroline sat up, blinking and trying to understand what was going on.

"Fine, fine. Choose the peasant over me."

"I'm not a peasant." Caroline rubbed the sleep out of her eyes as she growled at Rebekah. It was difficult to act indifferent to Rebekah's snipes when she was pretty sure she had bedhead.

"Might want to check a mirror before breakfast. Wouldn't want to spoil my brother's idealization of you." Rebekah snuck in one last bitchy comment before prancing off to another part of the house.

Caroline immediately smoothed her hair down, feeling the part that was foofing up. Not that she cared what he thought of how she looked…

"Where's the bathroom?" She mumbled.

"There's one in my bedroom. You remember where that is, right?"

Rebekah cat-called from somewhere in the house.

"Shut up, both of you." Caroline grumbled. A chuckle came from the kitchen. "Where's Alaric?" She called.

"I've got him. He's perfectly fine."

When Caroline was satisfied that she looked presentable enough to convincingly act superior to that evil blond, she exited the bathroom and headed to the kitchen to check on Alaric.

"You look nice. Rebekah's just jealous of any woman she finds in my house."

"Why would that make me jealous? You can sleep with whatever tramp you fancy. I could care less." She was back, peeking in on the breakfast Klaus was preparing.

"Bekah." Klaus warned.

"Let me see him." Caroline ignored her and pulled Alaric from Klaus's grasp. She inspected him thoroughly. He looked happy and healthy enough.

"Whatever are you checking for? It's not as though I would snack on him. Not before breakfast, anyway."

Caroline hugged the baby boy to her.

"You're a gourmet cook too? Oh, you've got to be kidding me." Caroline could barely believe the meal he was preparing. It looked like something from a five-star restaurant.

"Mmmhhm. There's blood in the fridge too." Klaus purred.

He was really making it difficult to hate him.

* * *

"I want hugs from both of you. I can't even believe what you guys have had to deal with the last couple of days." Bonnie hurriedly swept Elena up in a bear hug.

"Oh, Bonnie, the baby."

"OH! Sorry, little Gilbert."

"Salvatore." Damon corrected her.

Bonnie hugged him too and Damon returned it. Elena may have underestimated how much Damon appreciated Bonnie. He didn't return Caroline's scarce hugs.

"Thanks for flying out." Elena said.

"Sorry it took me so long. I couldn't bring my coven with me so I had to make this talisman first in case I needed to channel them for power. It was difficult to arrange one-on-one meetings with everyone last minute." She held up her wrist, exhibiting a beautiful ruby bead bracelet.

"Thank you so much for everything you've done for us. We'd both probably be dead by now if not for you."

"Don't even say that. There's no way I'm going to let that happen, Elena." Bonnie hugged her again. Elena sighed in relief. She had missed her best friend more than she realized.

Elena walked Bonnie into the extravagant living room of Elijah's mansion.

Damon sat on the armrest next to her on the couch and she held his hand. If there was nothing Bonnie could do, she was fairly certain that they would have to return to vampirism in order to protect their children.

Bonnie got straight to it when they settled in.

"I've been doing some research on what we can do to get the supernatural off your backs. The bad news is that I don't have anything concrete for you yet. The good news is that I've been reading up on the Original vampires, the original immortals, and the spells used to create them and I think I can make some modifications so that you can gain part of their powers without developing the craving for blood. Nature always demands a give for the take, of course, but the blood craving is compensation for living forever, young and beautiful. If you were to live normal human life spans, aging the natural way, we may be able to avoid that and just imbue you with some supernatural strength, hearing, etc. so you can deal with whatever comes your way."

"So you want to turn us into superheroes? Sure, point me to the vial of toxic waste and I'll jump right in."

"Roll your eyes all you want Damon Salvatore, but this is a real possibility. The problem is the give for the take. If I performed a spell like this without accounting for the payment necessary, you might end up with a very undesirable aftereffect similar to blood lust. I want to avoid that and be able to tell you exactly what to expect, good and bad, from the spell before I do it. That's the difference between me and the witches that performed the original spell. I'm not an amateur anymore, I hope you know."

"Why did you fly out here if you have nothing concrete?" Damon sighed.

"I need to reinforce the protection spell I placed on Elena. Now that you're clued in on what's going on, I can reduce the energy drain on me and my coven members by performing a more complex spell in person. Part of the huge energy drain was the distance. I also need to add a more complex clause to the spell so that when the baby is born she will take on the qualities of the spell with her."

"Sounds great, thank you again Bonnie." Elena said. Damon slid down off the couch armrest and slipped an arm around Elena. They looked into each other's eyes and she saw that, despite his doubts, he had hope.

* * *

"You're coming back over tonight?" Klaus asked as he held the door open for her. She was already late for work. Luckily, she'd listened to the make-up girls at the news station moan over how much they wanted to get married and have adorable babies for over a year now so she was fairly certain she had her pick of ready and willing babysitters for Alaric.

"Um, maybe." Caroline pulled her coat over her shoulders. She was already mentally planning the fastest route to work.

"Well give a man a heads up. I'll make you dinner, too, after seeing how much you enjoyed breakfast. Plus I'll kick Bekah out so she isn't harassing you the whole time." Klaus ducked his head and stepped back for her to rush through the way she had rushed in. She stopped when she finished processing the words she was barely listening to. She turned slowly.

"This isn't a date." She clarified.

"Right."

"Not a date."

"Right." Klaus nodded once more. He wasn't very convincing.

"This is me not having time to read a million baby books. Not a date."

"That's clear."

Caroline's jaw worked in frustration.

"It's not." She said one final time before turning on her heel.

"Caroline."

"IT'S NOT, OK?" She yelled as she spun around.

"The child?" Klaus's eyebrows lept up. She realized he was still holding Alaric. She closed her eyes, mortified. _God clearly intended for me to be a vampire so I would never have children._

"Right." She walked over and eased Alaric from his arms. "Right."

* * *

Damon peeked out the window at Elijah. The weirdo had just been standing there for an hour, unmoving, watching the ducks on the pond in his backyard.

"Ugh, kill me. _This_ is what people who have lived for a thousand years end up doing? I'm glad that won't be me."

"Damon I'm trying to read." Elena sighed. Damon twisted at her tone, taking in her incredibly tense posture as she sat on the very old and elegant couch of Elijah's parlor. He walked over and sat next to her.

"Are you stressing?"

Elena shut her book, her doe eyes drawn with worry.

"Yes. I don't know if I can keep up with all of this reading without discussion groups. Also, Caroline just asked me a really dumb question about taking care of Alaric."

"What did she ask?"

Elena pulled her phone out and read the text.

"What diaper stores do you go to?"

"She think there are specific stores just for diapers?"

Damon suppressed his irritation.

"Don't stress. Chill out. Come hang with me and make fun of Elijah. You don't need to do this right this second." Damon grinned.

"You are such a bad influence. Fine, I'll take a break, but only for a couple of minutes. Falkner is so difficult to read... my brain is in agony." Elena set the book down a little too hard on the elaborate coffee table.

Much to his surprise, she only stood up so she could plop down on his lap, her graceful arms encircling his neck. He rubbed her back and rested his forehead against hers. She played with his hair absentmindedly for a moment, running it through her fingers over and over again. He closed his eye to the wonderful feeling. She smelled like home to him.

"I love you." She whispered.

"I know."

"Don't Han Solo me. And you love me too."

"Of course."

"I don't want to be a vampire, Damon." She moaned softly, just barely a complaint. Damon wrapped his hands around the back of her neck, massaging the tense muscles there.

"Maybe we won't have to be."

"Do you want to know a secret?"

"You have secrets from me?" Damon smirked, incredulous. She was practically incapable of secrecy when it came to him.

"I feel better now that we have all of these monsters coming after us."

Damon was silent.

"How could that possibly make you feel better?"

"Before, right after we almost lost Olivia… I didn't know what I was afraid of, but I was afraid all the time. Now I have something solid, something with a name that I can take measures to protect myself from. And that's better than feeling like I have no control at all. Much better."

Damon pulled her into his chest and stroked her hair, unable to say anything more.

* * *

**Ok, I promise Klaroline will not take over this fanfic, I'm just having a lot of fun writing them right now. Delena is still #1. With that said, the overwhelming majority of you guys seem to like/be ok with Klaroline, so that's pretty awesome. To the 10% who don't- at first, I absolutely did not get the appeal of Klaroline. I never really liked Tyler though, and even though Klaus is definitely a horrible person who kills people, I really like their dynamic and the effect she has on him. Anyone who says that Candice and Jomo don't have chemistry has been eating their crazy puffs for breakfast. **

**Let me explain my thought process behind the naming: I thought about Rose for their child's name too, but while Damon liked Rose and was deeply affected by her death, he only knew her for a very short time. I also really don't see Damon as someone who would memorialize his dead friends in his children. I think he would see it as a painful reminder rather than a pleasant reminder ( like how Elena's sees it). He definitely made an exception for Alaric because it's the most awesome name of all names and Elena was exhausted and she liked it and he likes her. He loves her. Also, he didn't think it was that big of a deal. After a year of calling Alaric 'Alaric' though, I think Damon has realized that this isn't a good idea for **_**him**_** at least, so he's going to be a little more particular with his second child's name. **


	18. Change

**Pinky promise me right now through the internet that you will keep reading until the end of the chapter even if you don't want to. Now keep that in mind. You pinky promised!**

* * *

Caroline set her wine glass down.

"How is it?" Klaus asked, watching her eat the vegetable and salmon funny word that she couldn't say he had cooked.

"Oh my god. It's as delicious as you are evil." Caroline ranted, making another groaning noise of appreciation. Klaus's expression lit up at the sound. Caroline swallowed hard, wishing she hadn't done that.

"Glad you approve." His eyes sparkled as he watched her. She set her fork down, about to say something to redraw the line in the sand between them.

She decided that she didn't care enough about being responsible tonight. She was going to relax. The stress of the baby had been weighing on her for the last couple of days and tonight she was going to drink wine and eat good food and forget about being responsible. Alaric was sleeping, perfectly happy in the crib she'd hauled over from Damon and Elena's house. She wasn't going to stress out in the precious quiet time. She giggled to herself.

"More wine please!" She unstably thrust her wine glass at him.

"Are you sure? You're… pretty drunk."

"I'm so sure you can call me Sure-ly." Caroline giggled again, "I need to relax. Seriously. Alaric cried the whole way here."

Klaus's eyebrows shot up as he poured another glass for her.

"What did you do to him?"

"Nothing! I didn't do a single thing to him!" Caroline laughed. She threw her hands up in the air, "I didn't do ANYTHING! He just HATES me!" She exclaimed, glad to get it out there. It felt like the pressure building inside of her had just popped.

"He probably just misses his mother."

She sighed and rested her head on her arm on the table. It was probably too nice of a table and too elegant of a meal to be napping on, but she didn't care anymore. "I miss her too." She mumbled. She was so sleepy suddenly.

Klaus eyed her with his head tilted. He stood up.

"I think it might be time to call it a night for you. Last time you were this drunk, you had me turn you into a vampire."

Caroline laughed at that.

"That's because I make all my best decisions when I'm druuuuuuuunk!"

_That _was_ a good decision. I hated being human._ She squealed as strong arms lifted her and she was suddenly suspended in the air and rocked back and forth to the sounds of footsteps.

"Put me down, I can walk! Oh you smell so good…" She giggled again. The footsteps slowed to a stop.

"I do, hmm?"

"Mmmhmmm…" Caroline rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes. _Like a forest at night._

Then she was travelling through the air again. She recognized the soft, plush feel of the couch-bed when it enveloped her.

She caught his hand as it withdrew from her body.

"Come to bed with me." She said, looking up at him. He was swaying a bit. Or maybe she was swaying. Something was swaying. _Oh wait, I'm lying down I can't be swaying._

She smiled seductively, tugging on his sleeve to try to pull him down with her.

"I would like nothing more, Love, but you're very drunk right now. Maybe some other time."

"Oh, _come on_! You're _evil_! What do you care if I'm drunk or not? Maybe you're nice. Sometimes, I don't like you… but even then I really like you. Don't tell Klaus that, though, I don't want him to know."

She tugged again, trying to draw him down. The bed sagged a bit as he sat down next to her.

"I won't tell him. Now go to sleep." Fingertips on her cheek, light like the wings of a butterfly.

"Not until you come with me!" She sat up and rested her wobbly chin on his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his upper body. He really smelled wonderful.

"All right…" He disentangled himself from her and urged her down into the bed, covering her over with blankets. She grabbed his arm, tugging. This time he followed her in, getting under the covers and rolling on his side so he was facing her. She immediately snuggled in closer, reveling in the warmth of his body. It had been such a long time since she had slept next to anyone. She forgot what an incredible feeling it was.

"Sleep." Came his order, rumbling through his chest.

"Yes." She sighed. Her eyes fell closed and she drifted off to the feel of a hand gently stroking her hair.

* * *

"NO. I won't do it, Damon!" Elena rolled her eyes, but then she laughed as he snapped another picture of her. The flowers were in bloom. The ducks were quacking in the pond next to them. Elena looked so beautiful in her sundress, her hair pulled back with a freshly picked flower woven through it.

"No one's around, just flash me!" He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, camera at the ready. "All the cool kids are doing it. I want it for my private collection. Your boobs have been fantastic lately."

"NO!"

"Oh come on…"

"Stop being so insatiable. Just be patient. She'll be out any day now." Elena laughed again. He hadn't expected her to do it, but it was fun to tease her. Plus, she was really gorgeous when she laughed. He snapped another picture as she leaned down to pick up another flower for the fresh bouquet she was picking. She picked one every day and put it in a vase on their bedside table. She liked to wake up and smell them before she did anything else.

"Caroline called a couple of minutes ago. Apparently the girls at her work want to adopt Alaric from us. What do you think?"

Damon pretended to consider it.

"Nah, I kind of like him. I think we should keep him around for another 17 years or so. Maybe then, though, she could give him their phone numbers. I have a feeling he's going to be a total stud, specializing in Cougars."

"Gross! You're going to give me nightmares." Elena shuddered at the thought. "If you're right, then that's what's probably going to kill me." She stooped for another flower she had been eyeing. "What do you think Olivia will be like? Do you think she'll be as mischievous as Alaric? I know she's going to be louder and more energetic." Elena rested a hand on her stomach in thought, smelling this new flower.

"I hope she looks like you." Damon sighed. The sunlight was bright and Elena's flawless skin was glowing. She smiled slowly, a blush rising to her cheeks. She walked over and kissed him. Like the first time he had met her, his heart skipped. He pulled her to him, locking his fingers behind her.

She pulled back, that same soft smile on her face, her eyes searching his. The sunlight, the haze of warm air, the breeze in her hair.

Perfect. Life was perfect.

Her smile faded. She closed her eyes. She leaned against him.

Her knees went out.

He caught her. He tilted her head and it rolled back. No response to his frantic shake. He went to lift her, kneeling to sweep his arm under her knees. He saw it.

Blood was dripping down her knees, seeping into the white of her sundress and dying it a deep red.

He lifted her and ran.

_Bonnie. _

_Bonnie._

The doors burst open. There. _Bonnie._ She looked up, a smile on her face that transformed into horror. She stood, rushed over to meet him. She looked at Elena and then at him.

"Would she heal?"

"I don't know! I-"

"Bonnie!"

"Yes, I think so."

"Then do it. Do it _now_."

* * *

Damon prayed in the ambulance. He punched a doctor when he told him he couldn't come in with her. He prayed in the waiting room when the nurses convinced security to let him stay. He clutched his phone in one hand, staring at it as though it was his lifeline. Elijah showed up after a few minutes.

"Do you want me to feed her blood?"

_Bonnie. _Damon's knuckles whitened around his phone.

_I don't want to be a vampire, Damon._

_What would it do to Olivia? _

"Wait until you can't wait anymore."

Elijah disappeared.

_Bonnie_.

* * *

Bonnie's hands were shaking as she drew the pentagram around her with salt. She nearly knocked over a candle and burned herself as she went around to light them. She ripped off the ruby bracelet, calling out to her coven through it and alerting them to her emergency.

It began to glow as she started to chant. Her mind raced through the latin that she had not finished writing, her mouth working almost as quickly. She needed to stop and center herself. She needed to get in touch with her magic.

There wasn't any time.

_If I only had another day… but you don't, Bonnie Bennett, so you have to do this. You have to do this. _She had no idea if it would work. She had no idea what the improvisation at the end could do to the spell. All of her careful planning and spell weaving… and now this. The baby… what would happen to the baby? She had never planned on doing this before the baby was born.

She pushed the image of Damon's terrified white face from her, but it kept resurfacing. The blood… there had been so much blood.

The latin flowed from her and as it did the magic of thirteen witches caused the flames of the candles to roar and spark.

It was time.

She lifted her wrist and drew the dagger by her side. Her own blood spilled into the dish before her and it ignited with blue flames that glowed with an unnatural power.

Her mind raced through declensions and verbs and nouns, praying that what rolled off her tongue was not the difference between life and death for her best friend and her unborn child.

* * *

Damon stood. Elijah had returned.

"It's time."

Damon opened his phone one last time, his hand shaking and his heart breaking as he looked at the blank screen.

Tears welled up in his eyes as he nodded.

* * *

When Elena awoke, her head hurt. Disoriented, she immediately tried to sit up.

_Not a good idea._

Pain stabbed through her. Frantic, she tried to tug the sheets off. Her stomach was covered in gauze.

_Oh no._

Damon's hand grabbed hers.

"She's here." He said, his eyes watching her with an intensity that she had never seen in them before. They raked over her whole body before returning to her eyes. A relieved smile slipped through his serious expression.

A newborn baby was in his arms.

"...What happened? Is she ok?"

"She's… healthy. How do you feel?" Damon's grip tightened on her hand as he leaned in to kiss her cheek.

"I feel… weak. And hungry. My head hurts a little. Is that from the anesthesia?" She said faintly, holding her arms out for the baby. _Olivia. Oh, thank god she's ok._  
Damon shook his head almost imperceptibly. Instead of relinquishing his hold on the newborn he silently lifted a cup from a medical tray next to him. Elena took it from him, peering inside. She recognized the smell... but it couldn't be.

Blood?

Blood.

"You're not a vampire." He said quietly. "But you're not entirely human anymore, Love."

* * *

**Guesses for what's going on? Sound off in the reviews! Sometimes you guys have really awesome suggestions for little details and stuff that I think about and try to incorporate. **


	19. Awake

Caroline woke up to the warmth of someone's body tangled in hers. Whoever it was, they smelled amazing.

If she was still human, her head would be killing her. As it was, a dull throb echoed in the back of it, but it was very manageable. One more reason to celebrate vampirism.

She opened her eyes to a chest. She peered up, completely confused, to see a chin and past that- Klaus. She was sleeping with Klaus.

_Clothing check? Ok. No need to panic._

_But why am I sleeping with Klaus?_

She pulled away from him. He had her trapped in his arms. She was still hoping not to wake him and have to deal with the full awkwardness of the situation.

Klaus's fingers weaved through her hair and he moved her closer to him in his sleep. Caroline tried again, ducking slightly and inching backwards slowly.

No good.

Klaus's eyes blinked open, focusing on her immediately. Neither of them said anything, just looked at one another for a brief moment.

"Um, what's going on?" Caroline broke the silence, trying not to jump to conclusions.

"You wouldn't let me leave. You were very insistent." Klaus yawned and pulled her to him once more, closing his eyes as if he were going to return to sleep. Like that was going to happen. She realized that her leg was hooked over his, bringing their hips into a very intimate position. She withdrew her leg in a hurry.

"I did this? I'm responsible for this?" Caroline pushed back once more. Klaus had been gently stroking her side, but at her shrill tone he let her pull away, his relaxed expression becoming tenser.

"You also said some very interesting things. _In vino veritas, _hmm?" Klaus grinned, regaining some confidence. His fingers found her side once more, returning to stroking her gently through her clothes.

She should really stop drinking. It always got her in trouble.

Caroline strained her memory. Nothing. _That can't be good._

Klaus suddenly dragged her into a kiss, and she was so surprised she couldn't respond. By the time her mind caught up to her lips, he pulled back, his eyes burning into hers, a question hovering in the air between them. His hand moved up her side. When she didn't stop it, he edged it on to her breast, a smile softening his face. He leaned in to kiss her again, more tender and slow, the start of something. Caroline wanted to stop it, but she just couldn't. Her mouth acted on it's own and it refused to let this heaven cease.

She breathed him in and pressed herself against him. He immediately responded, his treatment of her shifting from cautious to intense. He rolled them over so that he was on top. He roughly grabbed her hands and pinned them above her head. His lips addressed her neck hungrily, his hands growing bold with her implied permission. One slipped between her thighs, massaging her clit in a way that made her groan loudly. The slow circles caused her to squirm and press her thighs together in guilty lust. His other hand pricked up her nipple, rolling it between his thumb and fingers. His mouth left a warm, wet trail down her neck and over her chest while his hips urged her knees apart, sliding between them. He started to push up her shirt, shivers running off her belly where his palms grazed her.

Somewhere in the back of her mind it finally registered that the weak sound she was hearing, the slightly annoying and concerning one, was Alaric's cries. Reality crashed down around her and she realized what she was doing.

"The baby! I have to go check on the baby." She broke the kiss and hastily smoothed her shirt down. She unceremoniously shoved him off of her and leapt from the bed, unable to believe that she let something like that happened _again_.

Klaus glared at her, but he let her go without protest as she backed, breathless, out of the room.

Alaric was screaming bloody murder from his crib. She lifted him and patted his back, making soothing noises the way she had seen Elena do and swaying gently from side to side. His crying immediately diminished, but he kept a quieter hiccupping, rolling sob going. She was once again infinitely grateful for his presence, gulping down breaths of air and trying to smother the passion still burning in her lower stomach.

"Bottle? Are you hungry sweetie? What about the diaper?" She felt his diaper for evidence that it needed changing, but nothing.

"You must want your bottle-"

A sharp pain like an insect bite seared her shoulder. She nearly dropped the baby in surprise.

"Ow!" She cried, shifting Alaric to her other shoulder. The small bloody cut was already healing, but it looked like-

She looked back at Alaric and to her horror his mouth was stained red. He was licking his little lips, but he did not look satisfied. Apparently vampire blood wasn't what he wanted.

"Oh my god…" Caroline whispered faintly. Alaric began to whimper again.

Caroline looked up, the sense that someone was watching her prickling the back of her neck. Klaus was in the doorway, looking very disheveled from their recent make-out session, his open-mouthed gaze darting between her wound and Alaric. He met her eyes, his mouth setting in a hard line as his nostrils flared and a glower settled over him.

"What have they done?"

* * *

"So what am I?" Elena gulped. This felt precariously similar to when she woke up as a vampire. "I thought Bonnie wasn't done with the spell." She looked at the blood again. It smelled good.

"She wasn't." Damon stroked Olivia's cheek, "But there was so much blood… and I didn't want to use vampire blood to cure you. I was worried that it might have an even worse effect on Olivia in the womb. I told her to do the spell to try to save both of you. There were some… problems."

"Like what, Damon? Just skip to the bad news please." Elena tried to get a better look at Olivia, fearing the worst. Why was he keeping her from her?

"Well, none of us are… entirely human anymore. Olivia is like you. They did a c-section on you, and the first thing she did was bite the surgeon. They thought she was a demon child. Elijah had to wipe it from their memories to stop their praying and crossing themselves. And I… might have snacked off a nurse in a broom closet when it hit me."

"What?!"

"Which is why you should really drink that before you do anything you'll regret. Definitely before you hold her."

Elena peered down at the blood. She hadn't missed drinking this stuff, but it did smell good now…

"I thought I wasn't a vampire?"

"You're not. We're not. I don't know exactly what we are. Bonnie isn't even sure yet. When I was feeding, I felt my face change like it used to when I was a vampire. But I can't transform at will now. The bloodlust is practically nonexistent, but when I was a vampire it was a constant in the back of my mind. Everyone smelled good. I felt it right before and while I was feeding, but now I feel like a normal human. A normal human with kickass senses and strength, of course. At least one thing went right." He smiled weakly.

"And Alaric? Is he roped into this madness?" Elena finally sipped the blood, slowly at first. As Damon had said, she felt her face change as she did so and a sudden bloodlust ripped through her, even more powerful than when she had been a vampire. She downed the blood, licking her lips, and handed the cup to Damon for more.

Damon rubbed his eyes in exhaustion, pulling a blood bag from a drawer nearby and handing it to her.

"Barbie called in a panic. He bit her too."

Elena's heart sank.

"But it was just for us. It was supposed to be just for us." She whimpered.

"I know, Love. I don't know what to think right now. I'm just so happy you're both alive. I thought I might lose one of you, maybe both."

Elena finished sipping on the blood bag until the bloodlust had diminished to nonexistence.

"Oh, that is… strange." Elena commented, handing the bag back to Damon. She felt stronger, and her senses had sharpened close to her previous vampire level. She could feel the skin of her surgery incision beginning to heal together. It was all very unsettling. Confident, she held her arms out for Olivia again.

Damon eyed her cautiously, then seemed to push down his own doubts and handed Olivia over to her.

"Wow, she is so beautiful." Elena was actually stunned. The baby looked like a little porcelain doll. Alaric had been cute, but Olivia was on a completely different level. It was almost unnatural.

"I know." Damon swallowed hard again. He didn't seem pleased. Maybe he was imagining kicking the asses of the many men who were going to fall in love with her.

"Why is she so pretty?"

"Well, that's the last part of this nightmare."

Elena's blood chilled. She looked at him closely and noticed that dark circles had started under his eyes and he was pale. She wondered how long she had been out, how long ago it was that he slept.

"What is?" Her stomach was a knot of nerves now.

"I've seen baby pictures of you. She looks really similar. Too similar."

"What are you saying?"

"She might be another doppelganger. Bonnie thinks that the spell must have triggered it because they usually skip several generations."

Elena looked back at her in surprise, realizing why her face looked so familiar. He was right. She looked exactly like her baby pictures. Elena's mouth fell open as she examined her child.

"You know what? I'm not going to freak out about this. Let's just be grateful we're all alive and healthy." But Elena couldn't keep the squeak from her voice and the worry from her eyes.

Damon was watching her carefully. His hand slipped over hers.

"We'll get through this, Love."

Elena tore her eyes from Olivia at the level of exhaustion in his tone.

"Come here." Sympathy stabbed her heart and she couldn't bear to see him looking so tired. Knowing Damon, he hadn't left her side throughout all of this, however long it had taken.

She scooted over in the bed, wondering how she was going to explain her suddenly healed wounds to the doctor when they came in to check on her.

Damon climbed in next to her and she felt the tension leak from his body as he molded his to hers. She nestled the baby between them and Damon kissed Olivia's forehead before lifting his head to kiss her lips sweetly. He rested on her shoulder, a long-held breath of relief escaping him, and entwined their hands before he immediately fell asleep.

* * *

**No-humanity Elena is going to destroy my heart. But not for another month because TVD needs a million hiatuses for no apparent reason. If anyone's keeping track, I now ship Kelijah and Stilas (Stefan and Silas, who, I'm convinced, is dancing with him in that promo after much brainwashing by tumblr and denial over the possible flaring up of Stelena (much like a bad coldsore)). I'm placing bets to see if Damon can make it through one episode without getting hurt somehow. So far, I'm pretty sure it's never happened ever in the history of TVD. That's ok, my heart just breaks a little every time he gets his head shoved in a fish tank of vervain water…. or something. I'll get over it I guess.**

**Thanks again for the great reviews, keep them coming ****! **


	20. Hot Springs

**Slipping in some Delena smut to even out the Klaroline romance of the last chapter. I missed their sexy times. This is your courtesy warning! It's the last part.**

* * *

Elena was extremely pleased that, despite the circumstances, she got to skip the long and painful part of birth. After hearing all the possible side effects of c-sections, she was also incredibly grateful for her new healing powers.

"Did you know that we can't fly for two weeks with a newborn?" Damon asked her as he flipped through a baby book.

Elena yawned. She cradled Olivia to her chest.

"Nope. Guess we're stuck at _casa_ Elijah for a while more."

"Well actually… considering that you are fully healed, I was thinking we could rent a car and drive back."

"Why?"

"_Caroline_ is taking care of Alaric. _Caroline. _Not to mention that when she called, Klaus was yelling in the background. So it's _Caroline_ and _Klaus _taking care of our child."

"Stop holding the glass so tight, you're going to break it." Bonnie observed. Damon set his glass of water down on the table extra gently to show that he wasn't losing his calm. Elena loosed a sigh.

Damon gestured for Olivia and she passed the child over to him. He hugged her to him and kissed her cheek several times. He had been very physically affectionate towards her. She was predicting that he was going to be even more of an overprotective father to her than to Alaric.

"Why don't we just pay to fly her out here with Alaric? I bet it would be cheaper."

"Elena, listen to yourself. _Caroline_ with _Alaric_ on a _plane_."

"It's only a four hour flight." Damon shook his head, eyebrows raised, making it clear that he thought that was plenty of time for something to go wrong. Elena rolled her eyes. He could be so obdurate.

"Bonnie when are you going to move out there? When Alaric finally succeeds at walking there's no way I'm leaving him with Barbie anymore."

"Me and Jeremy are moving out next week actually." Bonnie was checking flight times on her laptop. "It'll probably make our relationship a lot cheaper, Elena. These flights are expensive!"

"Sorry!" Elena winced, "Can we help at all? Damon's very lucrative."

"I might consider it a deposit on future babysitting." Bonnie grinned at Damon. Damon happily pulled his wallet from his back pocket.

"I'm holding you to that." Damon smirked as he sat next to her and peered at her laptop screen.

* * *

Klaus was throwing a tantrum. Caroline was so glad that she had stopped things before because she was revolted by his behavior now. Nothing could be more unattractive.

"Look, with half your family trying to kill them and Katherine banging down the door, what did you expect them to do?"

Klaus rounded on her, every part of him shaking.

"They'd better hope that their blood is still human enough to make hybrids for me. Otherwise I've lost my use for them and I have no investment in their future. In fact, I may be more invested in depriving them of a future. Now all my eggs are in Jeremy's so far very unproductive loins, and it could take centuries for another doppelganger to pop up!" Klaus ended with an unintelligible scream of rage and the tossing of a bunch of pots against the wall, so hard that some of them bent or broke.

Caroline slammed her hands down on the table separating them. They had stormed through most of the house so far and somehow ended up in the kitchen.

"Stop pulling this b.s.! What, you proclaim your love for me and then you talk about killing my friends? Do you even understand the tiniest fraction of how love works? Is the concept completely beyond you? God, how stupid do you have to be to have lived this long without comprehending something so fundamentally human!?"

"I'm _not_ human!" Klaus roared.

"You are more human than most humans are! You certainly can throw a temper tantrum better than any five-year-old human I know! The only difference between them and you is that you get more time, which you've obviously completely wasted!"

Klaus strode up to her until their noses were nearly touching. His fearsome gaze nearly caused her to flinch, but she was Caroline Forbes: Miss Mystic Falls, head cheerleader, lead anchor of channel 6, queen bee. She backed down to no one.

"If you want to lose me, you'll act out, like you always do, and hurt them. If you want me to stick around, then show me that you respect me by respecting my friends!"

Klaus growled at her a moment longer before he turned on his heel and left the room. The distinct sound of the entranceway door slamming echoed through the house.

Caroline exited the kitchen to check on Alaric after all this fighting. The small child was sitting in the corner of a playpen she had set up, sipping formula from a bottle, hungry enough that he wasn't crying but visibly very upset with all the yelling. She stooped to pick him up and soothe him.

"Sorry for all the yelling, sweetie. Oh, life could either get rougher or easier for you from now on. There's just no way to tell."

* * *

Damon and Elena walked down the lot with the car rental employee, a nice woman who had been very helpful. Elena laughed silently to herself when she saw her stop next to the minivan. Damon paled at the sight.

"You don't have anything else?"

"That you can take to California? No, sir." The lady smiled at his expression and exchanged a look with Elena. "New parents?"

"This isn't our first." Elena replied, trying to contain her amusement as Damon inspected the car with barely concealed horror. It wasn't an obnoxiously bright pink… but it was pink enough.

"Paperwork is taken care of, so enjoy and don't get into trouble." The lady handed the keys to Elena and Elena began to strap Olivia into the car seat in the back seat.

"Elena, they gave us a minivan." Damon's voice was quiet.

"It was the only one with a car seat." Elena hid her head as she buckled in Olivia so he wouldn't see her laughing at him.

"It's pink."

* * *

It wasn't until several hours had passed that Elena woke up from her nap. Damon noticed her wake up and reached a hand out for hers.

"Hey."

"Hey."

"Olivia's sleeping."

Elena checked the back seat. Olivia was conked out.

"Do you want to take a break? I'm all rested, I could take over." Elena yawned and stretched her stiff car-trip muscles.

Damon considered it. He surveyed where they were. Mountains rolled by on either side of them, lush forests and the occasional field accompanying them.

"You're all healed, right? Nothing hurts?"

"Yup, I'm good as new."

Damon cast a glance at her, a mischievous smile creeping onto his face.

"Yeah, I'd love to take a break."

Elena smiled at him, a little confused. A few minutes later, Damon turned off the freeway and down a small road that headed into a heavily wooded area, right at the base of a mountain.

Elena peered out the window at the lush trees. Damon reached a turn around for hikers to park their cars. It was completely vacant of cars. Elena hadn't asked before, but now she did.

"Is this the part where you kill me and kidnap Olivia?" She joked.

Damon grinned at her impishly, waving his hand in a gesture for her to open the car door.

He hoisted Olivia from the car, still in her car seat. He surprised her when he wrapped one arm around Elena and lifted her from the ground.

"I missed that." Damon's cheeky grin as he whispered to her was enough to stir her heart, among other things. _Jesus, he's so strong again_. His breath on her neck and his body pressed against hers initiated a burning in the depths of her stomach. Elena swallowed hard.

He kissed her and set her back down.

"Up for a little hike? I spent some time down in Texas a couple of decades ago and I remember this place. I'd vamp us there, but I don't think that would be good for Olivia."

Elena nodded, still a little breathless. They set out, completely silent. The air of the woods was so fresh and clean it nearly wiped the smell of the city from her mind. The hike wasn't very long. Elena didn't even have to ask 'how much further?' before it became apparent where he was leading them.

The forest parted and a rock-rimmed steaming depression in the ground beckoned to her. Natural hot springs.

"Wow…" Elena smiled. This was exactly what she needed right now.

"I thought you might like it." Damon set Olivia down at the base of a nearby tree, checking on her before walking over to join Elena.

His hands slid around her waist and just barely under her shirt, coming to a stop at the base of her abdomen as he rested the side of his face against her head. Shivers spread through the skin he touched and the feeling held Elena's voice captive.

"I do." She whispered when she could. "Thank you."

Damon's warm breath on her ear was intoxicating. He was nuzzling his nose into the sensitive part of her ear. Then, with a blur of movement, she wasn't wearing her shirt anymore.

"Damon!" Elena cried in surprise. He smirked at her, taunting her by hanging the shirt off one finger. Elena quickly turned to scan the area again and see if any hikers had appeared in the last half second, folding her arms protectively over her chest.

"You want to swim, don't you?" He shrugged.

She scowled at him, a scowl that broke into a giggle.

Then she was in his arms.

"But before we do… would you like to thank me another way?" He asked, a wolfish grin lighting up his alluring face as his eyes skimmed over her face appreciatively. How could someone so devious look like such an angel?

"Maybe." Elena grinned, breathless again.

Damon lifted her in the air with astounding speed, both his hands moving to her ass to hold her against him. Surprised, Elena wrapped her legs around him and grabbed his shoulders in an effort to steady her self. Her heart kicked up and pounded in her ears.

"Mmmmm, I missed this too." Damon bit at her neck, just rough enough to incite a gasp but not enough to break the skin, a leftover habit from his vampire days.

Elena squirmed in his arms, trying to pull away for the sensation was almost too much to take. Not to mention that her sex was unashamedly pressed to his firm stomach and she felt very exposed to him. She was wearing pants, but the position itself…

Damon laughed against her skin and shifted one hand to her back to hold her tighter, denying her escape.

"Too much, Love?" He asked with a simper.

"You know what that does to me!" Elena smacked him playfully on the chest. Damon chuckled at her and his eyes dropped between them to glance at where her sex was pressed to his body.

"I remember…but I'd like to rediscover it." His eyes ran back up her body to meet hers, losing their playfulness and simmering with desire. Blood rushed into Elena's cheeks.

Then she was pressed against a tree trunk and his lips were exploring her neck while his hands were doing much more than that.

"Damon, not here! Someone could come!" Elena squirmed again, weakly fighting him, nerves erupting in her at the thought. She was nearly faint with arousal.

"We'll hear them with our shiny new super hearing." He soothed her, biting at her earlobe. She had denied him sex for so long, he was obviously going to need a much better reason before he would take no for an answer. He was doing a damn good job of convincing her otherwise. He rolled her nipples between his fingers and she let a moan go. His hand slipped over her mouth. He leaned in to whisper seductively,

"But you have to be very quiet, my lovely moaner. Otherwise we'll wake Olivia. Can you manage that? Or should I help you?" His eyes burned into hers, their crystal blue so intense she was dazed. _  
_

Then he finished undoing her jeans and snuck one hand into her underwear. Elena lost all her arguments. His palm muffled another moan.

Giving in, Elena tilted her head back so she could take one of his fingers into her mouth, sucking on it long and hard while running her tongue along it. A fire sparked in Damon's eyes and his lips parted in desire while he watched.

* * *

**Spring break is here! Writing is really relaxing and fun for me so you might see quite a few chapters this week. Or else all my inspiration could dry up and I could squeeze out nothing even though I have all this free time, lol, either one is equally possible. We should start a letter writing campaign to end these damn hiatuses. I mean, is there actually any point to them other than keeping the fans in suspense? **

**So originally this was going to be a waterfall scene. After I wrote it I realized that Stefan had already scribbled all over that image with 2x20 markers so I changed it to a hot spring. It's a bummer because waterfalls are super romantic and I love them, but hot springs are steamy and probably more true to Damon's character anyway. Does anyone else who writes vampire fanfic feel like so many parts and images have been forever trademarked by Stefanie Meyer? It's hard to cover vampire romance in an original way without overlapping with some scene in Twilight. Nothing against Twilight, I'm fine with Twilight. In fact I will occasionally watch Twilight and eat ice cream and sob over how beautiful Jacob is (sorry Edward fans). I'm just kind of bummed that everything vampire romance-y gets associated with Twilight now, even if vampires and romance are the only thing the two have in common.**

**As always, thank you thank you thank you for your lovely reviews! So many kisses! I'm so honored that people read my drabble and take the time to tell me what they think. You are all so wonderful! **


	21. Control

**MAJOR smut alert. As in, I-embarrassed-myself-when-I-tried-to-edit-it kind of smut. **

Elena eased herself into the warm water and let her eyes flutter closed with pleasure.

"Oh…my…..god….." She moaned. Damon wiggled his eyebrows at her.

"Careful." He grinned.

"Damon, we just did that. You are so insatiable." Elena frowned, leaning her head back against the rocks and propping her elbows there too.

When she opened her eyes again, Damon was scouring her with his steamy gaze.

"Stop looking at me like that!" Elena insisted, blushing.

"You stop looking like _that,_ and I'll stop looking at you _like that._" Damon smirked. His smirk faded quickly, though, returning to his hungry expression.

He was making her self-conscious, so she immediately decided a change in topic was needed.

"So you said Klaus was yelling in the background when Caroline called you? What do you think will happen with him?"

Damon frowned and a serious air came over him.

"I think we're going to need to be prepared for whatever he throws at us. Caroline seems to have him pretty much neutered at this point, but I'm not comfortable with him around my son, needless to say. He's going to want to test your blood and see if he can still make hybrids with it, and if he can't… he might not be bothering us anymore, but he might also decide to nip at us and watch us suffer a slow, agonizing death. Until he has a chance to test us, Alaric is safe. When he does test your blood, we should high tail it out of there until we know if he favors Dr. Jeckyl or Mr. Hyde."

Elena nodded. Damon scooted over closer to her, taking her hand and stroking it under the water.

"Don't worry so much. With these new powers, I think we'll be able to roll with the punches much easier than we did before." Damon's arm snapped out to his right, creating a splash. Elena jumped in surprise.

"See? Water moccasin. Didn't have a chance." Damon lifted his hand from the water and Elena's gasped in surprise at the writhing snake he was holding just under its head. He turned and tossed it far out into the forest.

Elena nodded again and rested her head against his shoulder. After a few moments, she stood, exposing her upper body to the air, and waded over to Olivia's car seat. She checked on the sleeping baby and adjusted the blanket around her to make sure she wouldn't get cold.

"Good thing this steam is so warm or else I'd worry about her catching a cold." Elena smiled, glancing back at Damon. _That look_ was back.

"Oh no." Elena whimpered to herself. Damon stood and waded over to her, the water rolling off his chest and abdomen and highlighting how toned he was. Elena swallowed thickly as his hands came to rest on her hips, his thumbs lightly caressing her. His eyes skimmed over her, a small smile lifting the corners of his mouth. Then with a sudden movement the world was upside down and she was hanging off his shoulder with her butt up in the air.

She squealed in surprise as Damon stepped out of the hot springs and headed towards the woods with her.

* * *

Caroline tried to soothe the crying child as best as she could, but she was near tears herself now and Alaric was going on twenty minutes. She fisted her hands over her ears for a brief moment, squeezed her eyes shut, and prayed to the Baby Gods for relief.

Google was her new best friend. Unfortunately, she couldn't find anything useful on it.

"Alaric, just tell me what you want and I'll do it!" Caroline pleaded after scouring the internet. Alaric's vocabulary was extremely limited, however, and the baby just blinked at her.

_Don't even think about calling that ass. You can do this. You're Caroline Forbes! This is just one baby._

Caroline rocked Alaric back and forth and made happy sounds at him. Alaric's crying slowed and he smiled a bit. He reached for her hair and twisted it around his fingers.

"Looks like you don't need my help." Caroline tried to ignore the fluttering of her heart at the sound of his voice. She reminded herself that she was still pissed at him.

"Looks like. Why don't you exit the way you came, then?" She growled without looking back at him.

"If I may suggest-" She heard footsteps and then he was in front of her. His curling golden hair and slight smile spurred her heart into another damnable flutter. Caroline tried her best to glare daggers at him. "You have him dressed for winter, but it's summer, Love."

"I just didn't want him to get cold."

"Mission accomplished. A little too well, I'm afraid." Klaus eased Alaric from her arms and started to unbutton the tiny sweater. Alaric immediately brightened and the misery left his face.

"Hot." Klaus said gently, looking closely at the baby.

"Hot." Alaric said after a moment of hesitation.

Caroline was speechless. She didn't know why she couldn't figure these things out for herself. She was smart. She was capable. _I have zero experience, though. _

"I'm sorry." Klaus said suddenly, almost too low for her to hear. She heard it, but it was too much fun to pretend she didn't.

"What did you say?"

Klaus huffed a bit before repeating the words, his voice barely even a whisper.

"No more yelling around Alaric. He hates it. I may be baby stupid, but even _I_ can figure that out."

"Promise." It was a low purr of contentment.

Caroline sat down on the armchair with a sigh of relief. The blissful silence.

"Alright, you can stay."

* * *

Klaus tucked Alaric into his crib, securing the blanket around his little body, while Caroline checked her messages.

"Elena and Damon should be here soon. Maybe two hours?"

Klaus soured at the mention of their names, but he didn't say anything.

"You won't hurt them." It was more of a question, though she presented it as a forceful statement.

Klaus hesitated.

"I won't hurt them."

Caroline relaxed a bit at this reassurance. She yawned and stretched. It had been a full day of work and then fussing over Alaric, so she was exhausted. She wanted nothing more than to slip out of her work clothes, into her ratty pajamas and-_ what? Watch Greys Anatomy reruns and sigh over how lonely you are and how hot the fake doctors are?_

Klaus was gathering up his coat from her entryway. He shrugged it on and turned to say goodbye.

"Don't you have better things to do with your time than help me take care of Damon and Elena's baby?" Caroline asked, suddenly desperate to keep him from leaving.

Klaus paused before laughing.

"Not really. I enjoy spending time with you, more than almost anything." Klaus grinned, turning to leave.

Caroline softened at his words. People didn't say things like that to her, not anymore. Not since Tyler.

"Do you want to spend a little more?" The words slipped from her mouth before she could stop herself.

Klaus was halfway out the door when he stopped and pivoted slowly to face her. Something familiar sparked in his eyes, and she was reminded of that time in his car when he kissed her. She had felt helpless then, helpless against herself, against what he made her feel, even against all logic that clearly indicated he was bad for her.

"Of course." The door was partly open, but instead of pushing it open, he pulled it shut. He stood there watching her, waiting calmly for her to initiate whatever she intended for 'spending time'. Nerves flooded her suddenly. _What are you doing? _She wondered to herself wildly, but as it happened so frequently around him, she was helpless to her own desires.

"Wine?" She asked finally, after her mind raced through a million different implausible possibilities. _No, we cannot go go-kart racing. Calm down, Caroline. _

"Yes, please." He said very politely, clasping his hands behind his back and meandering into her living room as she ducked into the kitchen.

She returned with two shaking wine glasses, one of which she quickly handed over to him before he could notice how visibly nervous she was. She sipped hers, using her lips to steady the glass against her shivering grasp.

Klaus was quiet as he sipped from his as well, looking around her apartment like he'd never seen it before, even though he'd spent the last three hours there.

"This apartment is very organized. I love a clean woman." He observed. Caroline somehow found herself blushing.

"Stop complimenting me. Please. I'm all confused now." She admitted, sipping at her wine to hide her blush.

"Oh?" Klaus cocked an eyebrow. "Confused? About what?"

"You know what."

Klaus's eyes glittered.

"I'm not going to hurt your friends." He said softly. He set his barely-touched wine glass down on a nearby lamp stand and stepped closer to her. Caroline's breath hitched, but she couldn't step back to reestablish the distance between them; she was mesmerized by his sea-green eyes. "I'm even helping you take care of their child." He didn't articulate his implication. He didn't need to.

_Would it really be such a mistake if I let myself give him a chance?_

"Klaus." Caroline said softly. Her wine glass was completely steady now, her nerves replaced with fierce determination. The decision was made and there was no turning back.

Klaus's eyes skimmed over her body and came to rest on her face. He read the consent there before crashing into her.

Animal lust erupted inside of her as his body met hers. Light burst from beneath her closed eyes at the feel of his mouth on hers, just as she felt herself give in to the darkness in him, for she couldn't deny that there was a great deal of darkness inside of him and somehow, illogically, she loved every part of it.

A low groan vibrated through his chest, spreading through her as well. He was holding her tightly, almost too tightly. He lifted her by her thighs and walked them back into her bedroom, ravaging her neck with his lips as he did so. Caroline gasped as his tongue raked over her jugular, then his lips caressed her collarbone before moving across her chest. Caroline ran her hand through his soft golden curls, and that same groan echoed through him again. An ache started between her thighs, and she pressed herself into him, wriggling against his hard body in desperate need.

Then she felt the softness of the bed against her back as he laid her down gently. Klaus situated himself between her thighs, still standing, and ran his hands up her sides, lifting her shirt with them. When the shirt was gone, his eyes skimmed appreciatively over her exposed upper body, and a small smirk started on his face. Caroline felt heat creep into her cheeks as the moment stretched on, the hunger growing in his expression. Mostly to break his stare, she sat up and worked her hands under his shirt, brushing her hands against his taught, smooth skin. She lifted his shirt off, and then it was her turn to stare.

Golden hair trickled from his bellybutton down below his dark jeans, and a small expanse stretched over his chest as well. The rest of his skin was flawless, pale and toned over hard muscle that rippled as he moved. A dusting of freckles covered his shoulders.

Klaus grabbed both her knees and yanked her down the bed so her sex was flush against him. His hands travelled up her trembling thighs. She was wearing a pencil skirt, for work, and he immediately began unbuckling and unzipping this article of clothing, a smoldering grin on his face. She couldn't look away from him as he did so; the filthy look he gave her was too intense.

"You're so beautiful, Caroline." He said under his breath as her skirt hit the floor, revealing all of her long, smooth legs. Caroline sat up to unbutton his jeans, her lips dangerously close to his strong chest. She placed a few kisses across his skin and felt him stir beneath her fingers. He stroked her hair and sent shivers dancing along her neck as he brushed her skin. She was suddenly very aware that they were both only in their underwear. All hesitation was gone, however; the decision was made.

Klaus stepped out from between her legs only to spin her around so she was lying on her stomach. The movement was forceful and unexpected, strange when coupled with the light touch along her back as he undid her bra.

As he bent over her, her butt pressed against him. He moaned as she moved against him accidentally. Hot kisses covered her neck in response, a new urgency to his passion, likely inspired by her unintentional teasing. A sigh brushed past her ear as his warm hands replaced her bra on her breasts.

"Jesus." She muttered as he massaged her nipples, his breathing deepening into a harsh sound.

He bit at her earlobe, and she released a sharp gasp just as he flipped her over again, rising into a standing position so he could look her over. Caroline hastily tugged his underwear down, her eyes immediately flying to the hardness she had felt against her ass.

_Oh god. _That's_ why he's so arrogant. _

Klaus grinned lazily at her look of shock and desire as he stepped out of his fitted boxers before ripping her own underwear from her. He leaned over her, his heavy breath on her chest, and his fingers found her sex. Caroline almost stopped breathing as two entered her. His thumb massaged her clit gently as his fingers began to tease her.

"Mmmm…. I think you're ready for me, Love." He purred against her ear. Caroline could only close her eyes, mortified at how wet she was for him, how much she wanted him.

She tilted her head back so he couldn't see her squeeze her eyes shut in embarrassment. She felt strangely like a child being held by a parent, strong and sure but still gentle and loving. Then she felt him at her entrance, warm and hard and gently pushing into her. She opened her legs more for him and his hips pressed into her until they met her skin. She couldn't believe how full she felt.

Klaus let his head fall onto her shoulder, a ragged breath caressing her skin, giving her a moment to adjust to the intrusion. Then he lifted himself up to look into her eyes. Caroline, suddenly freaking out as she realized she was really, truly _having sex with_ _Klaus_, couldn't meet his gaze.

"Look at me." He demanded, his voice soft but intimidating.

Caroline's body obeyed, though her mind was still reeling from the reality of what was happening. He knew she was embarrassed, ashamed of her feelings for him. He was making her face them. He was forcing her to give in to her desires and admit her feelings for him.

His thumb traced her trembling lower lip as he held her gaze for a heated moment.

He had pulled out of her as he lifted himself to look in her eyes, and now he sank back into her, stretching and filling her completely. He watched her reaction with hooded eyes. Caroline moaned and tilted her head back to the intense, tingling feeling that shot through her.

"Mmmmm." He muttered as he pinned her arms above her head, driving into her again, more forcefully this time. Caroline was used to being in control- her favorite position was on top- but she didn't want to take the reins, not this time. She just wanted to give in, completely, to her guilty desires and let him take over her body.

Klaus refused to allow her look away as he pushed her knees up to her chest, exposing her even more to him. She could feel him penetrate her deep in her core, his pace picking up as she began to relax into the feeling and moan loudly. He whispered unspeakable things in her ear, encouraging her moans and sending thrills of pleasure down her spine.

A thrumming began in her as his pace reached its peek. Klaus had finally closed his eyes to the sensations, and his expression was that of a man lost in pleasure too intense for words. Pride surged through her and the old Caroline, the one who loved control, resurfaced at the sight. He slammed into her once more before she seized him by the arms and tugged him down on top of her.

Klaus's eyes widened in surprise as she rolled over onto him, but then they fell back into a lazy, half-open, steamy look of desire. Caroline pinned his own hands above his head with the soft command,

"Look at me."

Klaus quickly lost his smile as she began to ride him and move over him. He closed his eyes and cried out in pleasure many times over, but every time he closed his eyes, she stopped her movements and demanded that he look into her eyes. Klaus submitted, reluctantly at first, until the tidal waves of ecstasy overtook both of them. Then they clutched at one another, unable to look away, as their simultaneous climax hit them.

* * *

Elena tried not to show how nervous she was as she and Damon stood outside Caroline's door awaiting a response. She called two times already with no answer. Damon didn't bother hiding his anxiety.

"She knew we were coming. She said she'd be here." He muttered, his tone accusatory.

"Maybe she went out for more diapers or something." Elena tried to soothe him. They could both hear Alaric's quiet breathing on the other side of the door, along with something else that Elena could not quite place. Whispering, maybe? Whatever it was, it wasn't helping her to hide her anxiety.

Damon pounded on the door, his fist heavier with each repeat.

"I'm going to try calling one more time." Elena said, a hand on his shoulder to calm him.

The sound of quick footsteps came from the other side of the door and a breathless Caroline opened it for them.

"Hey guys! Sorry, I was in the shower, didn't hear you." She gathered both of them up in a quick, but tight, hug.

"That's a lie. We have super-hearing again, remember?" Damon growled as she released him.

A slight blush crept into Caroline's cheeks.

"Damon, be polite." Elena muttered, steering him by his arm into the apartment. Damon shot another glare at Caroline before hurrying to the side of Alaric's crib.

"He's been asleep for a couple of hours now. I don't know if you want to wake him to take him home or leave him here for tonight."

Elena shared a look with Damon. They had both missed Alaric terribly, but if he was asleep then waking him would only upset him and might throw off his sleep schedule.

"Maybe it's best we leave him here, just for one more night." Elena fought her maternal instinct to grab Alaric that instant.

"You can pick him up in the morning, then." Caroline said, almost too brightly. "I leave for work at about 7:30, so anytime before that."

"Were you having sex?" Damon asked abruptly, his eyes traveling over her admittedly disheveled appearance.

"Damon!" Elena said, a clear warning in her voice.

Caroline turned beet red, but she didn't respond.

"You were." Damon smirked.

"Damon! It's none of our business!" Elena shook her head in exasperation, casting an apologetic look at Caroline.

"Let's just take Alaric home now, Elena. He'll be cranky, but he'll get over it. Caroline is _busy_." Damon grinned evilly at Caroline's red face as he reached into the crib and gently pulled Alaric from it. Somehow, magically, the baby stayed asleep as Damon settled him against his shoulders and planted a sweet, tender kiss on the side of his head.

"I'll be by tomorrow to gather a blood sample. Then we'll be able to tell exactly what you two are." Klaus was leaning against the doorframe of Caroline's bedroom, his clothing disheveled as well. His shirt wasn't even buttoned. Caroline, impossibly, turned even redder as she glued her eyes to the floor. Both Damon and Elena's jaws fell slightly open.

Damon was the first to recover.

"Well, from what I can tell, and what Bonnie has told us, we're still mostly human. So the standing non-invitation to our house should still be alive and kicking. But when we leave the house… I really wouldn't mess with us, Klaus. We're just _not human _enough to kick your immortal ass." Damon's smile turned dangerous as a murderous glitter lit up his eyes.

"Let's go." Elena couldn't help glancing at Caroline's mortified face one more time before grabbing Damon's hand and leading him from the room.

* * *

**Surprise! Klaroline smut instead of Delena smut. **

**A geographically astute reviewer pointed out that there are no hot springs in Louisiana, so I pretended that I knew that and went back and changed it to Texas :P****. So…they were on the road for a couple hours more! As for the water moccasin in the hot spring… well, let's play pretend with that one too because I doubt that would happen, but whatever. **

**SPOILER ALERT****- my joke that Klaus is awesome as a baby daddy has become surprisingly and magically REAL. The circumstances of which, I have to admit, were hugely disappointing. As a Klaroline fan, I am no fan of Hayley, so I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about the whole _Originals_ plotline, but once again, I'm putting my faith in the writers and praying to the TVD Gods that it will be good.**

**Thank you to the one reviewer who bugged me to update, reminding me that this story existed XD. Also, to the reviewer who was giggling over the two babies being a handful with their new powers... YES. So excited to write it. Just, YES. **


	22. Solution?

After the door clicked shut, silence spread through Caroline's apartment. A dull humming sound filled her head and her cheeks burned up as she continued to stare at the floor. She heard Klaus move behind her. She turned to face him, and luckily he could read her well enough to tell she wasn't in the mood for cuddling.

He stopped a few feet from her, his unbuttoned shirt and tousled hair a reminder of what she had just done.

He watched her coolly, a mask of detachment settling over his face. Her expression, whatever it was, hurt his feelings and he was trying to hide it.

She wasn't quite sure what to do. There was no way they were doing anything else romantic tonight, but she wasn't about to toss him out of her apartment- she had lost the right to treat him like that. Something undeniable had changed between them forever.

They stood there for a moment, the silence stretching between them. Elena's face resurfaced in her mind and Caroline's embarrassment got the best of her.

"I can't believe that just happened." She said, a hand to her face to hide her from Klaus's close scrutiny. Suddenly she had to move; she had to do _something._

She walked quickly past him into her bedroom. Her work clothes were still scattered around the room, so she started cleaning those off the floor and straightening the bed covers.

"Alaric was already asleep." Klaus said mildly. He had followed her into her room and taken up his favorite position- leaning casually against her doorframe, arms crossed. At a glance she saw his expression was still carefully guarded.

"I don't know if they'll trust me with him again." Caroline's face was on fire as she carefully straightened the bed covers. Tears sprung to her eyes as she considered the very real possibility that she had disappointed her friends and betrayed their trust.

"Caroline."

"What I let happen was completely inappropriate! More than that, I failed at everything they asked me to do. Alaric never stopped crying! He just hated me! He hated everything I did!" Real tears were flowing down her face as she looked back up at Klaus. Panic seeped into her as she realized the depth of her failure with Alaric.

A rare spark of sympathy animated Klaus's expression. He pushed off from the doorframe, unfolded his arms, and walked over to comfort her. Caroline tried to wave him off, but Klaus grabbed her arms firmly, forcing her to look at him.

"Hey. Is he hurt?"

Caroline sniffed, another tear running down her cheek as she looked into his eyes.

"Is he hurt?" He repeated.

"No." Caroline mumbled.

"Is he completely healthy?"

"I guess so."

"Then you didn't fail. They couldn't expect much more from you when you've never taken care of a child before. _You_ have to stop expecting so much from _yourself_. You can't be perfect at everything on the first try, though you may be at many things. You took care of him at the last moment for them, _put your life on hold to help them when they needed you_, and yes, you weren't great at it, but he's completely fine so you didn't _fail_." Klaus was dead serious as he held her eyes with his.

How did he keep melting her heart like this? Sometimes he was a paranoid, illogical, homicidal, raging jerk, and other times, like now, he was so sweet and tender and knew exactly what to say to make her feel better.

Klaus loosened his grip on her forearms and Caroline realized her frantic breathing and tears had slowed.

"Ok. Thank you." She said quietly, sniffling again. Klaus released his hold on her as she calmed down.

"So." He said, a slight grin creeping onto his face.

Caroline looked up at him. Words evaded her.

"Should I go?" He brought a hand up to touch her cheek gently, his sea-green eyes searching hers. "Or should I stay?"

Caroline's eyes fluttered closed at his touch, almost against her will. The heat of his body, so close to hers, was intoxicating.

"I didn't sleep with you because I'm in love with you." She felt she needed to say it, like it needed to be out in the open just in case there was some sort of confusion.

"I know." Klaus nodded, though his eyes seemed to cool off a bit.

"You don't love me either."

Klaus smiled a little and cupped her cheek in his warm palm.

* * *

"It can't hurt to test everything possible to figure out what you are, and what you aren't. Just think of this as one more test."

Damon eyed Caroline from his door, bleary-eyed and disheveled.

"It's 7:00 in the morning." Damon yawned before his glower returned. "I'm closer to murdering both of you than I am to doing you any favors."

"Well, I have be at work by 8. I came early so we could talk." Caroline shrugged.

Damon glared at her.

"She wanted to make sure this went smoothly." Klaus clarified.

"I got that." Damon growled.

"Please, Damon, can't we all just try to get along?"

Damon stared at her long and hard. He seemed to be waking up slowly.

"Look, just because you've deemed him worthy enough to be your new bed buddy doesn't mean I have a reason to trust him. We give him blood now, he comes back in a month wanting more. For the rest of our lives. No deal. Fuck off, Klaus." Damon started to close the door.

"Unwise, Salvatore." Klaus bristled.

"Damon, can't we work out a deal of some sort?" Caroline cried, desperate. She put a hand on the door, but Damon was strong. Stronger than her, even. He shoved hard and the door clicked shut. Caroline gaped at his surprising brawn.

"I don't really negotiate, Caroline." Klaus said in a level voice.

"Why do you need an army of hybrids anyway? What could you possibly do with them? Everyone is already scared shitless over you." Caroline was close to tearing her own hair out.

"I don't need it. I _want_ it. Clearly, there are still those not nearly as afraid of me as they should be- Damon, for instance. I want unequivocal power, and to achieve it, I must have a loyal army."

Caroline's frustration reached an unbearable level. She kept forgetting that, despite his uncharacteristically sweet treatment of her, he was mostly evil. With a shake of her head she stalked down the sidewalk to her car. She slammed the car door and sped down the street without another look at Klaus.

* * *

"She doesn't know Olivia might be another doppelganger." Elena tucked her long hair behind her ear before crossing her arms. She had stood next to the kitchen table, listening to the conversation. Damon had a feeling she wasn't sure how to react to Caroline's new relationship with Klaus and didn't want to face her yet.

Damon shook his head, yawning again as he checked the clock on their kitchen table.

"Yeah, and with that remote possibility, this b.s. with Klaus ends _now_. Also, I talked to Bonnie about figuring out a way to de-invite the Ice Bitch. She said she'll be by next week with lots of smelly herbs." Damon kissed her and sat on a kitchen chair next to her.

"Katherine." Elena nodded. Damon played absent-mindedly with her hair. She frowned, her beautiful brow furrowed with worry.

"Somehow I must have invited her in. For god knows what reason, she impersonated you at some point since we've lived here and came into our house. I'm just pissed I didn't realize it wasn't you." Elena rested her arms on his shoulders and pressed her forehead to his.

"Well, at least Bonnie has a way to fix it." She sighed.

"I have a feeling that when Bonnie moves up here, a lot of our problems will be solved."

* * *

Caroline sighed and hung up her coat as she shut her apartment door. Another long day of interviews. Normally, she liked her job, but today she was bummed about everything. Well, not everything. Mostly just Klaus.

"You left so quickly this morning."

Caroline jumped. Even with super hearing, he could still surprise her? He emerged from the shadows of her apartment. His hands were clasped behind his back again, and the cute but wary expression on his face almost soothed her anger towards him. Almost.

"I forgot what an ass you are."

"Am I?" He cocked his head to the side, almost amused.

Caroline gritted her teeth and faced him head-on.

"Yes. You're still obsessed with gaining power and controlling people. You didn't listen to anything I told you before and you haven't changed at all. Now, get out of my house."

Caroline turned her back on him, dismissing him.

"That's who I am. That's not going to change. But I promised I wouldn't hurt your friends, and I keep my promises."

Caroline looked back. THe humor had left his face and his arms were loose at his sides now.

"So, what? You're just going to leave them alone? That doesn't sound like the Klaus I know."

"I'm going to take you away." He walked suddenly toward her, taking her face in his hands and stroking her hair away from her eyes. "We're going to go traveling for a little while. Across Europe first, then who knows... wherever you want. I'm going to show you the world, Caroline. If you'll let me."

"What about your hybrid army?" Caroline tried to pull away, but she even knew how weak her efforts were. She wanted to stay within his reach, under the warmth of his hands. Klaus pressed on, more confidence in his voice.

"I want something else, now. More than I want power, I want you. You told me that we aren't in love." His eyes darted between hers, their sincerity pressing into her, "I want to see if we could be."

Caroline didn't know how to respond at first. Then Klaus kissed her, unhurriedly, his mouth sending tingles down her spine.

She closed her eyes and rested her forehead against his. Her whole body was alive with shivers. Klaus stroked her cheek, her arm, every part of her skin he could find. He seemed to be trying to convince her to say yes through touch alone. He kissed her again, gently but urgently. Caroline took a ragged, difficult breath.

"Ok."

* * *

**Thank you for all your reviews after such a long time without an update! Lately I'm regretting writing fanfic because I love my version of Klaus so much more than the version of Klaus in TVD at the moment. I used to just accept what the writers handed to me, but now I find myself disagreeing and saying, "I'm going ignore you and fix it with my own story!" which I don't think is entirely healthy :P. Short chapter today, but special surprise tomorrow, I'M SO EXCITED TO SHOW YOU. Originally, I was going to include it in this chapter, but it ended up being reaallllly long so I decided to break it into two but now I'M SO EXCITED TO SHOW YOU. But I don't know if you'll like it... but I hope you do XD. Right, I said that already... I've been waiting to write this next part since I started the story! Should I just post it now? NO I SHOULD WAIT OK I'M JUST GOING TO POST IT NO I'M GOING TO WAIT NO- **

**Sorry, I argue with myself sometimes. Writer problems XD.**


	23. Part II

**Part II**

Olivia yanked Alaric's ear bud from his ear with vigor.

"What did you do?" She demanded.

Alaric took a step back from his locker, his crystal blue eyes regarding her with blatant annoyance. At 6'1'', he was tall, but just short enough that she, at 5'6'', could easily slap him if need be.

"I missed your nonexistent preamble. What?"

"You used your speed at practice today. I saw it."

"I forgot mom convinced you to join cheerleading." Alaric rolled his eyes before he grinned at her lazily. "No one else noticed. Don't worry so much." He moved to tuck his ear bud back in place, dismissing her. Olivia yanked it out once more. Alaric's eyes flashed with anger and he turned to treat her with a full-on glare.

"Are you kidding me? It was so obvious. I'm sure someone saw it. I'm telling dad and he's going to kick your ass."

Alaric's characteristic detached expression settled over his face. Olivia hated when he did that. She could never read him right.

"Dad will laugh."

Olivia's frown deepened into a scowl.

"Maybe I'll skip him and kick your ass myself." She managed through gritted teeth.

"You can try, little sis." Alaric pulled his books from his locker and shut the door with a bang. "You can try." He backed away, shooting her a cocky grin before turning to walk properly down the hall. It was hours after school officially ended, so few people were left in the hall. The two girls working on homework, slumped against a row of lockers, watched him go.

"Is he gone?" Rose peeked her head from around the nearby corner she'd ducked behind when Olivia spotted her brother. Rose was the reason Olivia couldn't deal with Alaric's attitude today. After listening to her cry over him for more than an hour last night on the phone, she was already about to pummel him into a bloody pulp. Then she saw him vamp speed for a _football _in plain sight of everyone and she just snapped.

"Yeah." Olivia was still scowling, but her scowl lifted a bit as she imagined punching Alaric in the nose tonight.

Rose let a breath go that Olivia suspected she had held throughout her conversation with Alaric. Sympathy flooded her for the fiftieth time that day and she rubbed her best friend's back.

"Sorry my brother's such an ass."

"It's ok. Shelly has a great… personality." Rose reached for a compliment to describe the vapid bleached-blond Alaric dumped her for. Shelly was a sweetheart, but she wasn't much brighter than a thumbtack. Rose, on the other hand, was smart and beautiful and sweet and Olivia could think of no good reason, other than he was a complete _ass,_ that Alaric could have for dumping her. Olivia had always thought Rose was an exotic kind of beautiful. With her light mocha colored skin, bright green eyes and chestnut hair she had a look unlike any other girl Olivia had met. Other than her mother, Aunt Bonnie.

"Yeah, but you're 1000 times more awesome than she is. Alaric's really just a dick."

Rose giggled at her vehement cursing.

"On the other hand, you guys are first cousins, which you know I always thought was really icky. I mean, we all shared grandparents and family reunions. It's for the best, Rosey."

"I guess so. That never really bothered me though."

_It was gross. Gross, gross, gross. _Olivia tried her best not to show her disgust and keep her comforting smile in place. Both her parents and Uncle Jeremy had agreed with her though, she knew. They were relieved to hear the two had parted ways.

"Besides, we both knew the deal. There were no unsettling, nerve-wracking conversations of, "Oh I can light candles with my mind and so can my mom and my dad used to be a vampire hunter and my best friend occasionally drinks blood and can throw a car." Rose sighed. Then, after a painful beat, "Can we stop by my dad's place on the way home?"

"Sure." Olivia agreed absentmindedly, still contemplating all of the possibly ways she could punish Alaric.

Uncle Jeremy and Matt ran a bar and seafood joint only blocks away from the high school. It was more upscale than most of her friends preferred to eat at lunch, but she and Rose sometimes went there to bum a free meal by way of nepotism.

As they approached the bar, Uncle Jeremy, who was talking into a tiny headset, waved at them.

"I'll have a martini, please." Olivia ordered from the bartender with a straight face. Uncle Jeremy shot her a warning look and Olivia grinned at him and waved back. The bartended looked nervously between her and Uncle Jeremy, unsure. He was obviously a new hire.

"She's just kidding." Rose helped him out. _Always the kind soul_, Olivia thought with warmth.

Uncle Jeremy finished his call and turned to her with folded arms and an arched eyebrow. Rose smiled at her father and ordered some fries from the relieved bartender.

"Hello Olivia. I hope you two are staying out of trouble?"

"Nope. You know me, Uncle Jeremy, if it's not hard, fast, and loose, I don't bother. My new obsession is heavily tattooed bikers."

"Exactly the response I wanted from my 16 year old niece." He winced.

Olivia grabbed a fry from the fresh, steaming basket. Another hand joined her, one that wasn't Rose's.

Alaric had wedged himself between the two girls, lathering his fry in ketchup while Rose began to blush with mortification, her lips sealed into a tight line. Alaric didn't seem to be bothered by the fact that his chest was brushing up against Rose's shoulder.

Olivia shoved him back through the way he came, swiveling on her chair to cast him a dirty look.

"Stingy." Alaric frowned at her before crunching on his fry. Rose hadn't turned around and was trying hard not to reveal her bright red face.

"What are you doing here?"

"Someone left a note in my locker to meet them here after school." His eyes darted to Rose's back. He had not been very broken up about their break up, but Alaric didn't show emotion for a lot of things.

"It wasn't me." Rose turned slightly, barely meeting his eyes. Alaric looked mildly puzzled.

"Can't Shelly write?" Olivia asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Alaric smirked at her. She had nothing against the girl personally, but best friend duty prompted her to be a little mean.

"Olivia." Uncle Jeremy caught her tone and frowned at her cattiness.

"It wasn't her." He said with confidence after an eye roll at her jab.

"Well then scoot off, we're done here." Olivia waved him away. Alaric reached between the two girls quickly and managed to grab another fry before Olivia batted his hand away. Rose was as rigid as a board. Olivia rested a sympathetic hand on her back.

He wandered over to a darker area of the restaurant, high fiving a few boys in a group that had a similar after-school fry idea before squeezing between two of them on a bench.

"The worst part is that I have to see him all the time." Rose moaned, slumping into a heap on the table, her head on her crossed arms.

"Baby, I warned you about Salvatores." Uncle Jeremy rubbed her head affectionately. Rose glanced at him.

"Dad…. this is kinda awkward to talk about with you here." She muttered. He took the hint and wandered to the opposite side of the bar to talk with a bartender.

"He's right you know. We Salvatores are bad news." Olivia grinned at her. "Or at least Alaric is, when it comes to dating. He's literally had more girlfriends than I can count, and he's only a junior."

"I knew that. I've known you both since before I can remember. I just thought, since we'd known each other for so long, maybe I might be-"

"Different?" Olivia's voice came out a little too harsh. Yeah, so had she. She didn't think her brother was stupid enough to date Rose if he was just going to treat her like his other girlfriends when their families were so tightly connected, but turns out… Rose hadn't lasted much longer than any of the others. Her hopes that he might be serious for once were disappointed.

"Damn it why do you two have to be so beautiful?" Rose asked her with a moan. "Seriously, you both got everything good from your parents, and they were gorgeous to begin with. Maybe if he wasn't so hot this wouldn't suck so much." Rose sniffed, a tear budding in the corner of her eye.

"Yeah, Alaric's a curse to all women." Olivia agreed, uncomfortable to be grouped in with him. She was beautiful; she couldn't be bashful or modest about it. She was almost too beautiful, she was sure it was supernatural. It used to stun her when she looked in the mirror, and she could certainly feel the eyes on her wherever she went. But she was hardly the heart breaker Alaric was. Alaric had that cool, devil-may-care attitude that was such a deadly combination with his darkly good looks. She also didn't share his appetite for the opposite sex, so the few that braved to confess to her almost always left disappointed. It did come in handy when The Thirst hit her once a month and she had to quickly find a willing warm body.

"How about we forget my pig-headed brother and talk about something else. How's the magic coming?" She asked, a smile back on her face.

Rose glanced around to make sure no one was watching.

"Good. Mom's been helping me get stronger, but she can be so overbearing sometimes. It's a little stifling." Rose confessed.

"You're an only child, what do you expect?" Olivia shrugged, popping another fry in her mouth.

"Her to let me do my own thing once in a while. Just one spell without her supervision! Dad's not so bad, I don't know why she is."

The lights in the bar flickered twice before going out completely. A murmur of panic arose from the guests in the restaurant. After a few seconds, Uncle Jeremy's voice directed people towards the exit, a small beam of light from a flashlight illuminating his face. The rustling sounds of movement filled the air as all of the guests filed out towards the exit, a few curses sounding in the darkness as people bumped into things and each other.

Olivia had thought to grab their fries and the two stood in the warm spring air chomping on them. It was starting to get dark.

"What do you think this is about?"

"I don't know, it's never happened before that I know of."

"Hey." Alaric had detached himself from his man group. "You guys should see this." He handed them a small piece of paper. Olivia read over Rose's shoulder

_Meet you at The Grill at 7._

_Come find me in the dark._

"And you thought I wrote this?" Rose frowned. Alaric didn't reply.

"Are you telling me that you pissed off a girl enough to cut the power in Uncle's restaurant?" Olivia was furious.

"Hey I have no idea who wrote this. It seems as weird to me as it does to you." Alaric held his hands up in defense. Olivia glared at him. "Stop looking at me like that, Liv."

"Guys, I didn't want to say anything before… but I feel funny. Like, magic funny."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, before I thought it was just food poisoning or something. But now that we know a person did this… I felt something right before the lights went out, and again a few seconds ago. I think this is the result of magic. We may be dealing with a witch."

"You screwed over a witch?! _Another_ witch?" Olivia rounded on him. That was it, the last straw. She was literally going to kill him. As soon as there weren't so many people around, of course.

"Should we go in?" Alaric wondered aloud, avoiding her furious stare.

"Should we?" Olivia asked him, pointedly.

"I told you, I have no idea who would do this. I don't date psychos, alright? And I'm only aware of one witch in my dating history." His eyes flashed to Rose again.

"Whatever. Since she's after you, you go in first. I guess I'll cover your back in case things get ugly." Olivia flexed her fingers, a surge of adrenaline running through her. No matter how idiotic the situation, she loved an excuse to use her powers. The rush of moving faster than the eye could see, ripping doors off walls…. Well, she was definitely an athletic girl.

"I should come." Rose said, almost uncertain. "If she's strong enough, she could take you both down with a spell. I'm the only one who might be able to fight her if it comes down to magic."

Olivia didn't like the idea. Despite her powers, Rose seemed very physically fragile to her. Maybe that was because she was so short, barely even 5'3''.

"Alright, but stay behind me and don't let her notice you if you can."

Glancing around to make sure no one was watching, the three edged towards the alley that led to the back door of The Grill. Uncle Jeremy was busy trying to fix the generator with one of the waitstaff and didn't notice them as they slipped past.

Inside was dark and quiet, even with Olivia's super hearing. She could make out basic shapes as soon as her eyes adjusted, and her super sight seemed to help a lot as Rose nearly bumped into a three different things before she grabbed her. At the end of the hallway, she stopped Rose behind her and let Alaric proceed into the main part of the restaurant. As soon as he reached the middle of the room, candle lights flickered on, revealing a figure at the bar.

She was a small woman, smaller than Olivia. She was very young, she might have even been a teenager. Her long blond hair was pulled back into a braid that swept gracefully down her back. She was lean and muscular, Olivia could tell that much by the form-fitting clothes she wore. Her eyes were large almond shaped, and her full lips were a delicate pink. She wore a knife strapped to her hip, a stake sheathed beside it.

"Do I know you?" Alaric asked after a pause.

She smiled.

"I guess you got my note."

"I did. I'm still not sure why you gave it to me though, what all this is." Alaric's natural calm was helpful at the moment. Olivia's heart had kicked up a notch at the sight of this clearly dangerous woman, but his relaxed attitude was soothing.

"Alaric, right?" He nodded. Anyone who didn't know him well enough would assume his guard was down, but Olivia knew that stance, could see the tension in his shoulders. He was ready to pounce at any moment.

"I've been watching you, and your sister. I know what you are."  
"Oh?" Alaric asked, a slight strain in his voice. His eyes widened slightly before returning to his usual unflappable expression.

"You're something different, something new. You feed only once a month, and yet you have the power of a vampire and more. You age like normal humans, but you heal deadly wounds in seconds. Vampires cannot enter your homes, yet you need an invite yourself to enter others."

Alaric stayed silent. He started to walk slowly towards her. She tensed at the sight and her hand twitched toward the handle of her sheathed blade.

"Do you die the way vampires do?" She whispered. Alaric stopped in his tracks. His hands flew to his head and a painful cry resonated throughout the room. Olivia leapt from her crouching position, about to spring into vampire speed when a body blocked her intended path.

"Hello, Livy."

It was like looking in the mirror, a really, really slutty mirror. Skintight pants and a leather jacket adorned what she could only describe as her own body. Her hair was curled into tight, bouncy ringlets that cascaded down her back. And that expression, that horrible, malicious grin her doppelganger eyed her with.

"Katherine." She whispered, her voice cracking with fear. She had heard stories about her doppelganger, been warned. But she had never met her. Not before today.

Then a blur obscured her eyesight and everything went dark.

* * *

**So my surprise is, if you're still going "what surprise?", that we are moving on to part II, the life of the kids! So I'm nervous about this because this part of the story will include alot of people I made up: mainly Alaric, Rose and Olivia. Damon and Elena are still the main characters of this story and will still star in this part of the story, but they will be sharing the spotlight, like Klaroline did, with Alaric and Rose and Olivia. So feedback, please! What do you think of this shift? Do you hate it or like it or are interested in it? Will you keep reading if I continue in this direction? An awesome reviewer once told me "don't care what people think, just write what you want to write and we will keep up with you. You have a loyal following now." I've kept that in mind, but I am always curious how you readers feel about story twists so please let me know :). **


	24. Audrey

Alaric awoke to the sound of a knife sharpening. _Awesome. _

His last thoughts came rushing back before his groan of pain reached his lips. Katherine slamming his sisters head against a wall, rose screaming in terror before she did the same to her, all through the incapacitating pain of that witch bursting the veins in his head over and over again. He couldn't remember anything past that.

He stifled his groan. _Vervain headache._

He willed himself not to move, trying to feel out the situation before attempting anything. He was pretty sure his hands were tied- no, chained. The cold metal was smooth against his wrists. _That's going to be tricky._ He shifted ever so slightly and, yes, his ankles were chained too.

_Chained wrists I might have been able to deal with quietly, but there's no way with these ankle shackles. _

He sat up, all pretense of sleep gone. The girl, the blond from before, didn't notice him right away because she was busy running her considerable blade along a small stone.

Alaric took the time to survey his situation. He was in an old cellar, maybe; it was dark and moist and cold. Roots protruded from the dirt ceiling and the walls were dirt and stone. He would not feel safe running down here during an bombing, though. A tunnel ran through the room, and an old fence blocked off one side. An old pair of shackles was attached to the wall on the other side of small room. He looked his own shackles over and realized that they were brand new. _Damn. _

His captor finally noticed him. A jolt ran through her and she actually took a step back in surprise.

"I just shot you full of vervain. How did you shake it so quickly?"

"You said it yourself- I'm different." Alaric stretched and settled in to the uncomfortable junction between the floor and the wall.

"You're mostly human, except you're not." She nodded. Her grip on her knife tightened.

"So what do you want with me? If you wanted to kill me, you would have." Alaric watched her knife hand with interest.

"Don't look so unimpressed." She seemed irked, as so many were, by his lack of expression. Alaric grinned.

"I'm very impressed. Most people can't take me on, let alone me and my sister. Where is she, by the way?" He asked, seeming nonchalant. If they'd hurt Olivia he was going to hunt both of them to the ends of the earth and slowly and painfully rip out their hearts.

"She's fine. Sleeping, presumably, unless we underestimated her dosage as well." The witch seemed uncertain.

"And Rose?" His heart ached again. Just in case he hadn't hurt her enough lately, now she was going to have, at the very least, a massive headache because of him.

"She's up, and_ loud_. But fine." The girl answered.

"Alright." He really relaxed then and took a moment to survey his captor. His first impression of her was that she was very attractive in a deadly sort of way. If she wasn't holding a knife, and his sister and cousin captive, he might have even tried to come on to her. _That might actually be a good idea, seeing as how she's a witch so compulsion is out of the question. _He certainly wouldn't have to pretend to want her. Her large eyes were a strange mix of brown with light blue flecks in them; hazel was a close description. Her long blond hair was still swept into a braid, and he wondered how it looked untied and loose. She almost looked younger than him. Her legs were long and slender, but widened into generous hips. The neutral brown tones of her clothing, which looked like the sort of clothes she might wear hunting, weren't very flattering, yet she was still beautiful.

"What? Don't get any funny ideas. I spelled this room myself, there's no way out for you." She interrupted his stare, looking uncomfortable. She pulled her arms around her tightly, almost as though she was insecure at his close scrutiny. _Surely, with a body like that, she must be used to being stared at. _

_"_Funny ideas?"

"Yeah, like pulling the shackles out of the wall. Believe me, even for you, they're secure."

"I believe you."

A flash of irritation crossed her expression. She leaned back against the small table in the middle of the room, filled with more weapons he suspected they intended to intimidate him.

"You're awfully accommodating for someone shackled to a wall."

"I'm easy-going." Alaric shrugged, throwing her another grin. She actually blushed and looked away from him.

_Seduction plan it is._

"I usually like to know a girl's name before I let her chain me up." He commented. She couldn't look at him as she replied,

"Audrey."

"Audrey. Pretty. That works for you."

"What do you mean?"

"A pretty name for a pretty girl." Alaric said, deliberately looking her body over again. Audrey blinked rapidly and took a step away from him, putting the table of weapons between them, as though that would protect her from his gaze. She checked over a few other weapons on the table.

"That counts as a 'funny idea', Salvatore." Her voice was a little shaky.

He laughed. She was blushing again, and she was really cute when her cheeks were flushed.

"Alright, alright. But you have to give me an idea as to why I'm chained up if you're not going to make it interesting."

"What?" She asked again, real confusion clouding her eyes. This girl couldn't take a hint.

"If you aren't going to take advantage of me in my shackled state, which I would be completely fine with by the way, why did you chain me up?" He spelled it out for her with another teasing look of desire. She dropped her knife in surprise at his blatant invitation. She bent to pick it up quickly.

"I'll gag you if you don't cut that out."

"I'd love it if you gagged me." He winked at her. She really wasn't used to guys coming on to her. With her looks, he had to assume she had hidden under a rock her whole life for that to be possible.

"I'm serious." She tried to look intimidating, but she was too flustered to pull it off.

"So am I."

She swallowed hard. _This is almost too easy._

_"_Aren't you with that dark haired girl?"

"Rose?" Oh right, she had been following him and watching him. "Not anymore, no." He replied, quieter than he intended. He caught her eyes again, "Invitation is still open."

She seemed at a loss about what to do as he held her eyes with his. Eventually she looked away, examining her blade and apparently deciding that ignoring him was the best course of action. They lapsed into a heavy silence, broken only by the sound of the knife dragging across the stone.

"I'm different too." She admitted after a few minutes.

"You're a witch." He nodded.

She looked at him for the first time since he encouraged her to gag him.

"I'm not just a witch."

"Oh?" What else could she be? A witch couldn't be a vampire too, nature wouldn't allow it. Maybe a werewolf? He looked her over again, raising another blush to her face. He'd never heard about any restrictions on werewolves- they lived and died as humans, a little longer than the average human, so maybe nature would allow it.

"I'm something else." She dragged her blade along the stone especially hard.

"What, exactly? Part werewolf?"

She lifted the blade to examine it before sheathing it. Her embarrassment was gone, replaced with something akin to barely concealed fury.

"Don't really know. I was hoping you might be able to help, actually."

It was Alaric's turn to blink in surprise.

"I barely know anything about vampires, let alone other supernatural creatures. You might have better luck tying up Bonnie Bennett, my aunt."

"I'm not on speaking terms with Bonnie Bennett." She spat her name like it was a curse. _Maybe I shouldn't mention that Rose is her daughter. _That was a shame, he was hoping the 'you accidentally kidnapped a super powerful witch's daughter' card might buy them, or at least one of them, a ticket out of her shackles.

"You must know your origin story, though." She continued, her eyes sparking with intensity, "You must know how you came to be."

"Well, You're not going to like it if you aren't a fan of Bonnie." Alaric said warily. She bristled again at her name.

"Please. I need to know." She sank to the floor in front of him, tucking her legs up to her chest and resting her chin on her knees as though she were a five-year-old settling in for story time. The knife at her waist, joined by a sheathed stake that made him more than a little uncomfortable, clinked against a stone in the dirt of the floor.

"Ah, ah. You first." He refused, wiggling his finger at her.

She sat up, angry, and a sudden blinding pain exploded in his head. After a moment of hoarse calls on his part, the pain faded. He tried to catch his breath, adrenaline surging through his body.

"Jesus Christ." He growled, his pretense of flirting gone. "Alright,_ I'll_ go first." She shifted, still watching him intently. He closed his eyes, a slight throbbing present beneath his eyes, and pressed his fingers to his temples as he began.

"Klaus Michaelson, if you know who he is," She nodded and he continued, "he needed my mother's blood to make hybrids. My parents used to be vampires-"

"Used to?" She asked, a sharp bark.

"Yes. My uncle, Stefan Salvatore, found a cure for vampirism and shared it with my mother and father, among others. Shortly after they turned human, they found the bad relationships from their lives as supernatural creatures were more deadly as weak humans, the primary problem being Klaus's siblings who were, and still are, lunatics that liked to threaten my mother every time he irritated them. Klaus, on the other hand, is a real asshole himself and nearly killed my sister while still in the womb because he refused to wait until my mother gave birth to take her blood. My parents didn't want to return to full on vampirism since they had me before Klaus found out about them, but they needed a way to protect themselves from all these supernatural threats. Aunt Bonnie devised a spell that would allow them to share the powers of vampires while still aging like humans. We feed once a month, and the Thirst hits us hard and fast, but otherwise we don't struggle with bloodlust. We age and live as humans. We can reproduce with humans, too, at least we think so. Originally the spell was intended just for them, but my mother almost died giving birth to my sister, so Bonnie had to use the unfinished spell. My sister and I shared the effects with my parents as an unintended consequence."

"What happens when you feed?" She leaned forward with intense interest.

Alaric closed his eyes again, this time out of a different kind of discomfort. The Thirst was definitely his least favorite part about being what he was. "It comes to us, unexpectedly, and if we don't drink blood within minutes of its onset, we go mad with the thirst until we feed." He swallowed hard. The close calls over the years had frightened him to his very core, and he always felt it was only a matter of time before he really murdered someone. His memories dredged up the boy in his third grade class he left bleeding in the bathroom, terrified he had killed him before he really understood what death was. When he was fourteen, his friends invited him to a beach party. He left his emergency blood bag in his bag at the campfire when he snuck off to make out with a cute girl. He nearly killed her. If it wasn't for the healing power of his blood, she definitely would have died.

"Then you're fine most of the time?"

"Until the Thirst hits, yes."

"That's hardly fair." She murmured, her barely concealed rage from earlier emerging.

"It's not. Believe me. You literally lose your sense of who you are. All you know is you have to drink _a lot_." He had a hard time empathizing with this girl when she wouldn't tell him more than her name.

"Ok, now it's your turn. What's your deep, dark, horrible secret?" He smirked at her, trying for flirting again.

A searing migraine hit him. He writhed in pain, using all his strength to keep himself from promising her anything to make it stop.

"That's not for you to know. For now." She rose from her sitting position and walked with poise over to the weapons table. She surveyed him as he lay on the ground, recovering slowly.

"You could just say that, you know. I don't need the debilitating pain as emphasis." He panted, struggling to sit up.

"If you try to escape, you will fail and I will know." She glared at him before opening the gate to step through and lock him in.

* * *

"I expect this from Olivia, but Alaric's usually so good about letting us know where he is." Elena checked her phone. It was one in the morning, both kids were still out, and she hadn't heard anything.

"I bet they're just at Rose's house. Did you call them?" Damon kissed her cheek and plucked the phone from her hands.

"Of course I called. Jeremy's still down at his restaurant, trying to get things working again, and Bonnie's out of town on one of her important witch missions. No one's answering."

"They would answer if they were there. They know how we are about curfew." Damon growled.

"Where could they be?" Elena asked, becoming more and more frantic.

Damon's jaw tightened at the sight of her in distress. He dialed quickly.

"Elena?"

"Strike one."

"Damon."

"So is Klaus still on your tight leash? As in, has he been by your side all day?"

"Why?"

"Our children are missing and I wanted to know if I should rip his throat out or someone else's."

"He's not responsible for it, I would know if he was."

"Sure you would. Has he been by your side all day?"

"Yes." A grunt of frustration, "Put me on with Elena."

"It's me, Caroline."

"Tell your husband he's an ass after you find the kids, ok? And let me know if there's anything I can do to help."

"Alright."

She hung up, her finger tapping nervously at the buttons.

"I guess it's time to start going through Alaric's little black book." Damon frowned. Elena's jaw dropped.

"Don't even joke that he has one of those."

"Oh, come on Elena. We both know he got more from me than my looks."

Disgust wrinkled Elena's beautiful face.

"I'd rather not think about it. He hides it so well from me."

"That's because he loves you."

Elena stared at him long and hard.

"He doesn't hide it from you, does he."

"Why would he?"

"Damon." She looked like she was about to throw up.

Damon almost smiled. He had one rule for Alaric: don't get anyone pregnant. As long as he followed that rule, Damon had no problem, and no ability, given his past, to judge how he conducted himself. But Elena didn't need to know about the existence of that rule.

"Let's try calling around and see if we can find them."

* * *

Olivia's head was a pounding mass of pain. She wasn't even sure she still had a head; it felt more like a throbbing bump on her neck.

"Olivia? Are you awake?"

"Rosey?" Olivia pried an eyelid open. She was lying on a cold, hard floor. Dirt, it was dirt. Great.

"Olivia, wake up before she comes back. Please."

"Before who-" Olivia sat up drowsily. Then it all came rushing back to her. "Katherine. Oh my god, Alaric! Where's Alaric?" She leapt to her feet a little too quickly, the throbbing of her head nearly enough to send her right back down.

"She told me he's fine. I don't know if I believe her, though."

"Oh god." Olivia said faintly. Her brother could hold his own, but Katherine Pierce was notoriously clever and evil. Also, she was 500 years old so she might have had the upper hand, especially with the help of that blond witch.

"I already tried an unlocking spell. Some other witch has us spelled in here, I can't get through." Rosey whispered in a panic. Olivia was shackled to the wall _and _in a cage. Talk about overkill. This woman really knew what she was capable of and wasn't taking any chances. Rose, on the other hand, wasn't shackled inside her cage, which was flush against Olivia's.

"Did she at any point explain why the _hell_ she kidnapped us?"

"Not really. She threatened to pull out my entrails, so I got scared and gave her a witch headache. I told her I wouldn't let her up until she unlocked us."

"Nice!" Olivia cheered.

"She agreed, I let up, and she sped out of the room." Rose ended guiltily.

"Ooh." Olivia winced. They both turned as the sound of footsteps echoed down the long hallway that led to the small room with their cages. They were definitely underground, that much was clear from the roots trailing from the ceiling. They were in some sort of tunnel network. The blond witch emerged from around a corner, looking between the two of them.

"Girls. I can deal with girls. I don't know why I even bothered with that boy." She muttered, so quietly Olivia was sure Rose couldn't have heard. _Alaric's awake and causing hell, then. _

Olivia regarded her cautiously. She stopped before she was within arms length of the cages, crossing her arms in front of her. She was trying to look tough, but Olivia could see how nervous she was from the sweat gathering on her forehead.

"Here's the deal: you're going to jam your witch mom's bat signal, or I'm going to torture her in front of you." The blond witch demanded of Rose, jerking her head in Olivia's direction.

"What makes you think I even know how-"

"You know how. I've watched you two for weeks. I've seen you do it."

Rose exchanged a worried look with Olivia.

"Fine. I'll need some herbs, though. And candles. And salt."

"Fine." The blond witch turned to walk back the way she came.

"Wait, are you going to tell us your evil plan? Or maybe a name?" Olivia called after her, reluctant to let her go.

"Audrey." She replied quickly before leaving.

* * *

**I'm clearly in love with Alaric, so I'm going to draw a picture and link you to it, somehow (fanfiction doesn't allow links in stories). Rose and Audrey, too. I'm so excited to write a scene with Damon and Alaric in the same place- their father-son love is so beautiful and hilarious in my head. Thank you again for your reviews! You guys are awesome! Also, thank you for tolerating the OCs! I usually try to stay away from OCs, but I couldn't resist in this case.**


	25. Escape

"Here." Audrey tossed him a blanket and a pillow. Alaric picked both up and looked them over.

"So you want me to sleep with my arms and feet chained to the wall? On the ground? With this?" He asked with a slight sigh. "Are you at least going to join me?" He gave her his best seductive smile. She went completely red.

"Of course not."

"Why not?" He teased playfully.

"Because!" She sputtered.

"Are you saving your honor for marriage?"

He wondered if she might faint from embarrassment. He thought he may have crossed a line, finally, and prepared himself for a brain-splitting migraine. Surprisingly, she answered him. She seemed stuck in place, unable to move.

"Not exactly."

"Are you involved with someone?" He pushed his luck.

"Not exactly." She repeated in a completely different tone.

"Do you not find me… appealing?" He asked her with a knowing smile. Her mouth opened, but just barely. He'd never seen that shade of red on someone's face before.

"So what's the problem? I'm your captive for the night, might as well have some fun. Promise not to tell anyone." He crossed his heart in a sign of good faith. "Do you have any condoms on you?"

Her slightly open mouth fell into a full-on gape. _God, she's fun to tease. _

"I think I do." He rooted around in his pockets. He'd left one in the pocket of his jeans weeks ago and never washed his pants. The look on her face as he withdrew two condoms, linked together, from his back pocket was completely priceless. He really had to try not to laugh out loud.

"You just- you just carry those around."

"In case I meet a sexy girl like you and she chains me to a wall. Look at that- there's two." He purred.

She mouthed something, but no sound came out. Alaric really did start to laugh then, she was just so cute. Fury lighted her features and his brain exploded into two.

She let his screaming go on for much longer than usual. Alaric was so weak he couldn't even move when she lifted the pain from his head.

"You're just making fun of me!" She cried as she stomped out.

"I'm not…" Alaric protested, his voice barely a whisper. He was a fast healer, but not fast enough. She was gone by the time he recovered enough to sit up.

* * *

"Your brother-" Audrey stormed into their room so quickly Olivia barely had time to sit up. "Your brother!"

Olivia exchanged a look with Rose.

"Did you hurt him?"

"Just a little bit. He's fine." She huffed, pacing back and forth. "How do you control him?"

Olivia gaped at her. Like she was going to tell her _captor_ how to control her _brother_. The girl honestly looked like she expected her to, though. Olivia was starting to wonder how much experience this girl had in holding people captive, or even being on her own at all. Where was Katherine in all this? What was her role, the extent of her relationship with this very young witch?

"What's he doing?" Olivia asked patiently.

"He's-" Audrey turned bright red. "he's-"

"He's Alaric." Rose finished for her with a pained, but knowing, smile.

"Nobody controls him. He does what he wants." Olivia lay back down, trying not to grin at the ceiling. "But I do kick his ass from time to time."

"Kick his ass, then!" She exclaimed. "Kick his ass!"

"You want to let me out of these chains?" Olivia joked, lifting her shackled hands from the floor.

"Yes!"

Olivia sat bolt upright, checking the witch's face to judge how serious she was.

"No, I can't do that." She shook her head, cooling off a bit. "No. I'm sorry, I'm not used to-"

"What?" Olivia asked, interested. Audrey was finally revealing something about herself. All it took was Alaric's teasing to rile her up enough to loose control.

"Boys." She finished at last. She crossed her arms and shifted her weight as the two girls stared at her.

"Why not? You're hot." Olivia asked, blunt.

Audrey gaped at her.

"I'm- I don't-"

"Yeah, seriously." Rose agreed. "Have you looked in a mirror lately?"

"I didn't grow up around boys." Audrey burst out. "I was homeschooled for most of my life. Can't you- can you help me, please?"

"Are you serious?" Olivia started to say, but Rose cut her off.

"Sure. If you help us."

Audrey's mouth opened, then shut.

"I can't let you go. Not yet."

_Not yet. So she does intend to._

"Let us out of our chains. We won't hurt you and we won't run." Rose tried, her voice soothing.

"But, Katherine said-"

"Screw Katherine. Look, you don't seem like a horrible person. Believe me when I say Katherine is a _horrible person_. I don't know how you got tangled up with her, but she lies to people and manipulates them to her own end. I'm willing to believe you just got mixed up with her without knowing that."

"I know what and who she is." Audrey sighed. "But I don't have anyone else I can trust."

"Then you don't have _anyone _you can trust because no one can trust Katherine." Rose sighed.

Audrey looked like she was really considering releasing them. After an immeasurable pause, however, she shook her head.

"I'm sorry. I know you're good people, but I can't trust you not to run away."

"What do you even want us for?" Olivia fell back to her lying down position, losing interest in the conversation. She heard the dull echo of a vampire speeding through the tunnels.

"Audrey, do you need something from these girls?" Katherine slinked out of the shadows, her eyes skipping between the three of them.

"No." Audrey said, uncertain.

"I told you, I'll look after them. You work on the boy. You don't need to bother with these two."

"Yeah because you did so well with the witch before." Audrey addressed her with a cool look.

"Don't let them convince you to do something you'll regret. Remember why you're here, why you're doing this." Katherine skated past her accusation.

"I know, Katherine. I don't need a pep talk." Audrey said, irritated.

Katherine cast an evil grin at Olivia, then Rose.

"Alright. I trust you." She sank back into the shadows of the tunnel and Olivia heard her vamp off.

"Here." Olivia noticed for the first time that Audrey was carrying blankets and pillows under her arms. "Get some rest."

* * *

_Hell hath no fury_- Alaric was musing to himself as Audrey emerged from the end tunnel. He watched her warily as she fussed with the gate, unlocked it, and edged into the room. She still looked pissed.

"Good morning?" Alaric tried.

"Afternoon." She corrected him.

"Well, I'm in a dark tunnel, so sense of time kind of goes out the window."

"I brought you some food." She introduced the tray of food in her hands.

"Also, that's breakfast food, so you can't blame me for assuming."

"It's easy to make."

She set it down some distance from him and pushed it over with the tip of her dagger.

Alaric immediately set in on the waffles and hash browns. There was fruit, too, and orange juice.

"I didn't mean to upset you. I really wasn't messing with you." He said between mouthfuls. "I'm sorry."

Audrey blinked at him, some of the hostility seeping from her expression. She scooted closer, pointing to the butter packet he hadn't noticed with the tip of her sword.

"I'm sorry too. I think I overreacted and fried your brain too much."

"You want to share?" He asked, as innocently as he could muster.

Audrey blinked at him again before a soft smile, the first one he had seen from her, started on her face.

She reached for a grape.

Faster than most people could see, Alaric grabbed her hand and yanked her back flush against his chest, throwing her body over the distance between them. Audrey gasped as his hand closed around her neck in an iron chokehold, his other arm wrapping around her waist to hold her close. The breakfast tray became an upended mess on the floor.

"Unlock my chains. If you scream I'll snap your neck in half a second." He whispered in her ear, his voice low, quiet and deadly. Audrey's breathing kicked up and he could feel her pulse race beneath his fingers. "I don't think I have to mention that a witch headache is not a good bet."

Audrey took a few shuddering gasps, her fear getting the best of her.

* * *

"Hey Liv. Rosey."

The sound of a vampire speeding through the hallways accompanied the appearance of Alaric. Audrey gasped for breath as they slowed to a stop. She didn't seem to have much experience with vamp speed.

"Yo, bro. Took you long enough." Olivia smirked, sitting up in her cage.

Alaric turned so his lips were close to the girl's ear and his hand tightened on her throat. Olivia wouldn't have traded places with Audrey for the world. Alaric's calm disposition was absolutely terrifying when he wanted it to be.

"Open them."

Audrey swallowed hard, her face contorting in fury and fear. The locks on the cages clicked open. Rose rushed out of her cage and immediately rifled through Audrey's pockets. She pulled a small ring of keys from one pocket and set to work unlocking Olivia's shackles.

Olivia stretched and rubbed her wrists. She approached the quivering blond witch in Alaric's death grip.

"Now you're going to answer a few questions."

* * *

Damon sighed as he shut the door behind him. Elena came rushing around the corner, hope in her eyes that died when she saw he was alone.

"You didn't find them." He reluctantly shook his head.

"They didn't call?" He had to ask, his hands trembling as she, in turn, shook her head. He grabbed a stool and chucked it across the room. It hit the wall with a crash.

Elena closed the distance between them and rested her hand on his. They stood there together silently, drowning in the fear and worry together. Jeremy emerged from the bathroom, saw the looks on their faces, and sank down onto the couch, his eyes hollow.

The phone rang.

Elena glanced between the two of them, hope springing up though he saw her try to push it down. She reached for the phone with a quivering hand.

"Hello?"  
"Mom!"

Elena's knees gave out and she sank to the floor. Relief flooded Damon as he recognized Olivia's voice. He searched for the extra home phone to give to Jeremy.

"Honey, are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm ok! Alaric and Rose are here too, and they're fine. But, uh, we were kind of kidnapped."

"What happened? Who did this?" Damon hissed, though he didn't have a receiver he knew Olivia would hear him. Fury was already pumping through his veins.

"Do you know an Audrey Burns?"  
Elena checked with him before replying,

"I've never heard of her."

"Well, she and Katherine Pierce abducted us."

Elena gaped at him and Jeremy, her hold on the phone tightening.

"Where are you now, baby? We'll come get you."

"That's the thing, uh…. They took us back to Mystic Falls."

* * *

**So it occurred to me this morning that, even though Jeremy's back, they killed off Bonnie now so Rose _still_ couldn't happen. The writers are determined to ruin my head canon of the second generation.**


	26. Truth

**So just a reminder that the prequel to this story, The Interim, began after 4x09, before Elena and Rebekah became pseudo-friends and made amends. Also, we never got Rebekah's redemption arc. So in this story, they still intensely dislike each other.**

"Mom was right. There's nothing in this town." Olivia downed the shot of whiskey she'd compelled out of the bartender. After fruitlessly wandering around Mystic Falls looking for something interesting to do, they were hiding out in the Mystic Grill until Damon and Elena could fly down and meet them. Unfortunately, Katherine was nowhere to be found. Alaric suggested that the first place she'd look for them when she realized they were missing was their father's old mansion, the Boardinghouse. So of course they couldn't even go there.

"There's the Boardinghouse." Alaric said dreamily. He loved that old, beautiful mansion.

"The Boardinghouse and nothing else. Why did you drag us down here? And how the hell did you do it so fast?" Olivia directed her question to the incredibly peeved Audrey, who was pouting while nursing a shirley temple at the bar.

"Alaric, I know you're against more death threats, but if she doesn't start to answer my questions I'm going to get handsy." Olivia growled, directing a menacing look at the witch. She popped a beer open with nothing but brute strength as emphasis. Audrey's eyes widened at the sound, but her mouth stayed sealed shut.

"Livy, no more alcohol for you." Alaric swiped the beer from her hands and lifted it to his own lips before she could protest. "You're underage. As your older brother, I cannot abide it." He grinned mischievously, equally underage. Olivia scowled, but she didn't order a replacement from the slightly dazed bartender.

"Look, can't we all just be friends?" Rose tried to reason with the angry witch but Audrey cast a hateful look at Alaric before stubbornly gluing her eyes to the ground.

"Not likely."

"Dad!" Olivia jumped at the sound of his voice.

Damon pulled Olivia into a fierce hug, kissing the top of her head all the while glaring at the now shaking blond witch. Alaric grunted at the strength with which Elena rushed him, patting her back soothingly. The parents traded children. Damon rested a hand on Alaric's shoulder while he pondered Audrey. Elena wrapped an arm around Rose as well as Olivia and held the girls close.

"What should I do with you?" Damon wondered aloud.

Alaric glanced at his father.

"I'm for eating her." Olivia voted with a sinister look at the witch. Damon grinned at her, but Elena frowned.

"Audrey, right?"

Audrey eyed her nervously.

"In this group of people, I would usually be your best bet for leniency. But you kidnapped my children and collaborated with Katherine, so you should start talking before I lose my patience as well."

Audrey swallowed hard, looking at the members of the Salvatore clan with visible fear.

"Torture it is." Damon rolled his eyes and grabbed her by the arm, yanking her off her stool with relish.

"I brought you here because of the witch spirits!" She burst out. Damon's jaw worked in frustration as he let her go. Olivia almost giggled. He was clearly hoping he'd get to torture her a bit before she admitted to anything.

"Dig a little deeper, witch. That's not going to cut it." He growled, menacing enough that the people eating a few tables away looked over warily.

"The site of the witch massacres. My father passed away recently, my mother died when I was young, and ever since he died my powers have been… unstable. The witch spirits are the only ones with enough power to help me keep them in control. I can't be away from them for very long."

"Define 'out of control'" Damon insisted with a threatening smile.

Audrey licked her lips.

"Just, you know, big wind gusts and flickering lights. All the usual witchy things."

Damon stared at her long and hard. Alaric's eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"I don't believe you." Damon grabbed her arm again, pulling her behind him as he took strides to exit the restaurant. The Salvatores followed his fast pace.

"Wait, please, wait! I'll tell you what you want to know!" Audrey hissed, desperate. She dug her heels in and Damon slowed, drawing looks from more of the restaurant's customers as well as the suspicious bartender. He let go of her again and Audrey took a shaky breath. "Just, please, let's stay here."

"In a public place." Damon's eyes flashed and that same cynical smile lifted his lips.

"Let's give her a chance to talk." Elena sighed. She took Damon's hand in hers and the group headed over to an empty table.

As they sat down a waiter wandered over, nervously asking,

"Can I get you anything? Everything… ok here?"

"I'm fine. I ran away and my father's angry with me." Audrey said, addressing the waiter's unspoken question.

"Very angry." Damon smirked, his eyes raking over her like a predator would appraise a potential meal.

"We'll all have water, please." Elena said.

"Mom-"

"Don't try to tell me you aren't dehydrated!" Elena interrupted her, worry creasing her forehead. "I know you, Olivia."

When the waiter went to retrieve their waters, Audrey, very aware of their intense stares, cleared her throat.

"The witch spirits told me to find the half humans, that they might be able to help me understand what was… wrong with me."

"And you thought kidnap was the best course of action." Olivia drawled.

"Well, after watching you for a few days, I didn't think you would just come out and explain what you were to a stranger, much less if you knew who I- who my mother was. As a group, you're very cautious and guarded, not to mention private." She glanced at Alaric, almost against her will, and Elena shifted uncomfortably, "I couldn't risk losing the element of surprise if you refused to help me."

"And who was your mother?" Damon asked as though it was the most painfully obvious question that one could ask.

Audrey winced.

"Her name was Rebekah Mikaelson."

"What?" Elena sat straight up in her chair. Damon recoiled slightly and Alaric looked her over with renewed interest.

"Rebekah became human?" Olivia asked.

"But you said your mother died when you were young." Alaric leaned in, a rare show of interest for him.

"After she saw what you had accomplished, your happy little family, she was desperate to rid herself of the curse of vampirism. My mother longed to become human, to have a child, almost as long as she was a vampire. She did something, something I don't know, to accomplish it. Then she fell in love, married my father, and had me right away. Unfortunately, she died in a car accident when I was young and my father never even knew she used to be a vampire. It was only when I started lighting candles with a blink and parting water with my mind that he told me she had been a witch."

"Esther. She was a witch. Rebekah must have inherited her powers when she became human." Elena whispered to Damon.

"Right. Well, now my powers are out of control and I don't know why. The witch spirits don't know what's wrong with me, but they suspect it has something to do with my mother's unnatural origins, and perhaps due to how she became human. I thought we might have a common problem, since both our parents used to be vampires, but as it turns out your half-vampire condition is a separate matter from your parent's previous vampirism." Audrey addressed Olivia, still ignoring Alaric.

"You know your mom killed me, then." Elena said, sitting back in her chair and crossing her arms.

Audrey gulped.

"Yes. _But_ she left you alone after you became human, even though she could have hurt Klaus through you if she wanted to."

"Oh, what a noble creature!" Damon growled, his dangerous smile still in place.

"That's why you didn't want to approach us outright for help?" Alaric frowned.

"Why didn't Elijah tell us that Rebekah became human? Or that she died?" Elena turned to Damon, searching his eyes.

"My uncle didn't know I existed. I sought him out when my father died, that's how I found Katherine. He and Rebekah were estranged before she became human. To someone like my Uncle, sixteen years is the blink of an eye. I doubt he realized how long it's been since he and my mother were in contact."

"That does sound like Dracula…." Damon frowned. "Wait, what is Katherine doing with Elijah?"

"She's his partner."

Damon's expression darkened and Elena blanched.

"Wonderful." He muttered. "She dug her claws in the only Original I can stand."

"So how old are you?" Alaric asked suddenly.

"Fifteen." She replied without looking at him.

"Whoa. You look- you seem older." Surprise flickered through Alaric's eyes. Olivia looked between them, interested. One of the reasons he cited for ending things with Rose was the age difference, and Audrey was the same age as Rose. Alaric, in the infinite wisdom of his 17 years, considered 15 remarkably immature and therefore undatable.

"Anything else you'd like to share willingly before we find out, which we will, the hard way and my patience grows thinner than it already is?" Damon's eyes widened threateningly and he leaned over the table, causing her to lean back involuntarily. Audrey shivered.

"No." She sounded uncertain.

"Sure about that?" Damon asked, his voice low and terrifying.

"You know everything there is to know, I promise!"

Olivia didn't even believe her.

* * *

**Wow, there is nothing more terrifying than no reviews. I'm going to assume that you lovely readers are following Thumper's advice, as I do on these sites: "If you can't say nothing nice, then don't say nothing at all.". I knew that using OCs was a risky move, but I felt the story needed them to continue. I don't lie in my author's notes (ok I notoriously lie about when I'm going to update, but not on purpose, more because I have a horrible sense of time and my perfectionism causes me to hold on to chapters until I'm 1000% sure they're to my standards), and Delena are still the main focus of this story, I promise ****. Even though I'm clearly in love with my OCs, I can assure you that they have only temporarily taken over the main plot.**

**That being said, I repeat, NO REVIEWS IS TERRIFYING TO MY VERY SOUL. Please go against your incredibly polite reflexes and leave me some constructive criticism, anonymously if that makes you more comfortable, so I know what you feel isn't working and I'm not completely confused about the resounding SILENCE. I lost several favorites for the story, so I could definitely benefit from suggestions. **

**Since this chapter was so short, I'm making another promise- the next one will be obnoxiously long, action packed, and full of sexual tension :D. **


	27. Revenge

The group poured out of The Mystic Grill, Elena in the lead. Audrey stopped as soon as they cleared the doors. They seemed to have forgotten about her, chatting easily amongst themselves- until she separated from the group, at which point all eyes turned on her like a herd of jackals on prey.

"What are you going to do with me?" She asked with audible fright. "It's no joke that I can't leave Mystic Falls for very long."

"Fine. You said our problems aren't related, so you're no longer our problem. As long as you don't go kidnapping my children again." Damon shrugged, the last part said with an irritable growl.

"I won't, I promise! Why would I?" She squeaked.

"Then you're free to go." Damon turned his back on her.

Alaric looked between his father and Audrey.

"She's an orphan. She only has Elijah and _Katherine_ to watch her back." He argued.

Damon sighed.

"I have work, Elena does too. You two have school. We can't very well stay here and babysit her."

"I haven't missed a day of school this year. I could stay, at least for a couple of days. I'm ahead in all my classes." Alaric suggested. Elena smiled quietly to herself and rubbed his back affectionately. Damon caught the look and folded his arms.

"…. I don't know, Katherine's still on the loose. She's incredibly dangerous and I'd rather you not get mixed up with her."

"Look, I don't need anyone's help!" Audrey protested. They both ignored her.

"Elijah's always liked us. I'm willing to bet he has no idea what she's been helping Audrey do." Alaric said with a smirk. "Why don't you give him a call and inform him?"

A proud smile rose to Damon's lips.

"Son, that's a great idea."

* * *

"I don't understand why you're doing this." Audrey asked him as she pulled him back to walk with her a few paces behind the rest of the group.

"Maybe I owe you one, for threatening to kill you and manhandling you and all that. Do you even know how to use that dagger you love to sharpen?" Alaric felt a twinge of guilt as he remembered warning her he'd snap her neck in half a second.

"Yes. Sort of. It was mostly to make you think I was intimidating."

"I see." Alaric stifled a laugh. He'd suspected most of that was just for show. He'd learned not to laugh at her the hard way, though. She caught it all the same, and her glower darkened.

"Next time try a gun." He suggested, managing a straight face.

"Maybe I don't want your help."

"Oh?"

"Yes, you're irritating, and all you want is to get in my pants anyway, which isn't going to happen-"

Alaric gave her a sympathetic smile.

"You're actually a little young for me."

Audrey blinked in surprise.

"What? Really?"

"I'm almost old enough to go to jail for 'getting in your pants', so… no thanks."

Audrey stopped.

"…Really?"

"Yes, really." He grinned, waiting for her.

"Then why _are _you doing this? I tortured you, I kept you chained up-"

"Tortured me?" Alaric snorted. "Please, my sister does more damage with her bare hands on a typical weeknight. That was nothing. Look, it's not a big deal. You're a girl and you're young and I really don't like Katherine, so don't make such a fuss about it and let me help you."

"What do you mean 'and I'm a _girl'_?" Audrey asked, irked. She crossed her arms and planted her feet as she stared him down.

Alaric paused, choosing his words carefully.

"Well, as threatening as you were with your pretend knife, your squeaky voice and boobs bring out my primitive manly urges to, you know, protect and beat things up. Don't be surprised if I pee all over everything to mark my territory when we get to the Boardinghouse."

"You're making fun of me again." Fury sparked in her eyes and her hands balled into fists at her sides.

"Look." Alaric said, taking her by the shoulder to make her look him in the eyes. "You're a badass witch and you can bring me to my knees in a second if you want to, but you're also physically fragile. Remember how easily I overpowered you? Well, Katherine is stronger than me, and she's far more ruthless and unpredictable. Let me do what I can to protect you."

"What makes you think I need your man brawn anyway? Katherine's never threatened me." She rolled her eyes, but a blush rose to her cheeks. She pushed past him, walking quicker to catch up with the group.

Alaric grew grim.

"Just a hunch." He muttered, mostly to himself.

* * *

"He's so like you." Damon shook his head, exasperated. "The two of you are such bleeding hearts." He mumbled as he checked available flights on his blackberry. Elena cast a glance at the two talking and walking behind the rest of the group.

"Maybe, but I worry about his womanizing ways. I seem to recall a similar tendency that caused you quite a bit of trouble before you settled down with me." Elena smiled roguishly at him. Then, after a pause, "Audrey's awfully young."

"At least she's not related to us." Damon said quietly and Elena exchanged a look of relief with him. Alaric's brief romance with Rose was… unsettling. "You worry too much. Let him have a little fun. Unlike us, he won't be young and carefree forever. Or for a hundred and fifty years, in my case."

"We're getting older." Elena pushed down a smile.

"Very slowly." He hardly felt, or looked for that matter, older than thirty, and Elena was still a stunning beauty, though she definitely looked more mature than when they first met. She was a woman, rather than a girl, clear and plain now. The trace of vampirism in their blood wouldn't keep them from aging, but it was certainly an excellent beauty product. Olivia often complained that all her friends had huge crushes on him, and Damon couldn't count the number of times he had to glare at Alaric's friends for ogling Elena.

"I'm just glad Elijah wasn't aware his 'partner' kidnapped our children." Elena sighed. "He sounded really angry. At least we're still on his good side."

"Hey, Rebekah makes one more Original down, Klaus is practically neutered, and Elijah likes us, or at least he likes you, so really all we have left to worry about is Kol."

"I haven't heard anything about him lately. He hasn't bothered us since the kids were little," Elena said, her movements becoming jittery.

"Well, he's a lunatic, and I doubt he's forgotten about us."

"But Audrey said it herself, they experience time in a different way. 16 years is the blink of an eye to them. Maybe we'll be old or gone when he finally remembers us."

"That's what I'm worried about." Damon met her eyes for a brief moment, but the fear there was unmistakable. Fear for his children, and for their future grandchildren.

* * *

Damon stoked the fire as he thought over the day's events. He forgot how fond he was of the Boardinghouse. It was definitely his style. He loved the little house his family lived in now, but being here in this mansion always reminded him of his dangerous days as a vampire- the power, the women, the lack of responsibility. It was intoxicating and awful. He wouldn't, in a million years, trade in his new life for the old, but it brought back memories, not all of them bad.

"It was incredibly stupid of you to come back here, Damon." Damon smiled at the sound of Katherine's voice. It was dark outside, making the fire the only source of light in the room. In the dim glow, she looked beautiful and deadly.

"Actually, it was incredibly stupid of _you_ to come here."

Elena tackled her doppelganger from behind, catching her off guard. In her momentary surprise, Elena got the upper hand and was able to pin Katherine's hands to the ground above her head. Damon didn't waste any time. He sped to their side and wrapped a coil of vervain rope around her wrists. Katherine cried out as the rope burned her skin. Together they threw her back against the wall so Damon could secure the vervain rope to an elaborate, but sturdy, light fixture on the wall. Katherine screamed in rage when she realized the full extent of her predicament. Elena stood back and crossed her arms, surveying their work. Smoke started to curl off of Katherine's wrists. She strained against the ropes only to hiss and recoil at her own efforts.

Rose stepped out of the shadows, muttering something under her breath, her hands raised as if in supplication, her eyes closed.

Damon and Elena backtracked from the confines of the room, joining Rose in the hallway. Rose finished her muttering, opened her eyes and nodded to them. Damon flexed his hands. Vervain didn't burn as much as it used to, but it did sting.

"My mother once used this same spell to trap Klaus in a room for days." Rose grinned nervously at the hissing Katherine.

"According to Elijah, we're not allowed to stake you. Elena has convinced me that we can't stake him either, so I guess we'll let you live. But we're parents, and we can't just turn a blind eye when we see someone misbehaving. Kidnapping our children was a really bad decision. So you stay in time out for a while and think about what you've done." Damon wagged his finger at Katherine, who spat foul curses at him between shrieks of pain.

"How much time do we have?" Damon asked Elena.

"The plane leaves in an hour so we better hurry. Rose, will you go get Olivia please?" Elena asked Rose politely, ignoring Katherine's howls behind her. Rose happily darted upstairs.

"_And_ you almost made us miss our plane. Not very considerate, Katherine." Damon directed one last snarky comment at Katherine. She gritted her teeth, biting back another moan of pain.

"Ugh, Katherine. I didn't miss you. No need to visit again." Olivia trudged down the stairs with Rose in tow.

"Alaric!" Damon called. Alaric skipped down the steps a few moments later, Audrey hovering close behind him. The girl, despite her obvious anger towards him and reluctance to accept his help earlier, had already latched onto him tightly. If she was anything like her mother, Damon suspected it wouldn't be long before she developed a major crush on Alaric. Assuming she hadn't already.

"Elijah should be by in a day or two to collect her. Call Rose when he does, she'll drop the containment spell."

"Collect her? That sounds creep-" Alaric started to comment, but Elena interrupted him.

"For god's sakes, _don't _get within ten feet of the boundary of this room. Remember what happened to Aunt Caroline?"

"Mom, we've gone over this. I know."

"Even if she looks like she's still bound, she's clever and evil and she'll try to trick you-"

"Mom! I'll stay clear of the room, I promise. I won't even go through this hallway." Alaric soothed his mother with a hand on her shoulder. Damon grinned and steered Elena from the room by her waist, though she resisted at first.

"Maybe I should stay too-"

"They'll be fine. You're worrying again."

"Well we're leaving our son in a house with a trapped mass murderer." Elena growled, twisting so she could glare at Damon. Still, she let him push her slowly from the room.

"Alaric's no idiot, and he'll keep an eye on the witch if she is." Damon smiled gently at Elena and smoothed the worry lines on her forehead. Elena was almost comforted, but by the end of his sentence she rolled her eyes and pushed him off with an apologetic look at Audrey. "Come here and kiss your mother." Damon called over his shoulder. Alaric grinned and quickly pecked Elena on the cheek.

"Bye mom. We'll be fine."

Audrey, unsure what else to do, waved awkwardly at them as the group left the mansion. Damon pulled Alaric into a quick side hug before exiting. Elena hovered at the door for a moment, Damon's hand ready at her shoulder to drag her away if she resumed fussing.

"Alaric." She called in a different tone. Alaric turned with a sigh of exasperation, bracing himself for more words of warning over Katherine. Her eyes flashed to Audrey and she said quietly but sternly-

"Behave yourself."

Alaric flushed in response, shocked into silence. Damon gently pulled Elena away from the door and under his arm. His father winked at him before the falling door hid them both from sight.

As the door clicked shut, silence, broken only by Katherine's stifled moans of pain, settled over the room. Alaric smiled easily at Audrey to break the tension his mother left behind. She hesitated before she shyly asked,

"Are you going to?"

"What?"

"Behave yourself?"

Alaric laughed.

"Don't worry, kid. You'll be fine."

* * *

Sweat beaded on Katherine's forehead and her breathing was slow and uneven. She'd closed her eyes to the pain, her head falling back against the wall without strength to keep it up. Her wrists were a mess of red welts and exposed muscle and bone. Alaric observed her quietly for a moment before making his presence known. He was incredibly quiet when he wanted to be, and the shadows of the very early morning hid him well.

"Alright." Katherine's eyes opened into slits. "What did you want with my sister and Rose?"

"What do you mean?" She asked, her voice cracking from use. He'd listened to her groan all night, unable to sleep- definitely one major downfall of super hearing. All that time awake had given him too much time to think.

"Audrey only needed me or my sister to answer her questions, but you helped her abduct all of us. You made sure to grab Olivia and Rose, too. You kept us in separate places so she would be distracted with one of us at all times. Why?"

Katherine forced a laugh and turned her face away from him, an attempt at ignoring him.

"I'll throw you a knife to cut yourself free." Alaric said coolly. That peeked Katherine's interest. She slowly redirected her attention to him. "If you tell the truth." She stared at him for a long time before she let her head fall back against the ceiling. It was meant to be a sign of disinterest, but it was obviously due to her exhaustion.

"The pain's not that bad."

"So you're doing someone else's dirty work. Someone that frightens you." Alaric tilted his head to the side, running through the possibilities. Katherine grimaced but quickly recovered her oily charm.

"Your imagination is too wild, little boy. I brought the two girls along because they saw Audrey and they saw her attack you. I couldn't have them running to tell mommy and daddy. I was looking out for Audrey, for Elijah's sake. End of story."

"Bullshit." Alaric said, dismissing her explanation with no change in expression. "It's Klaus, isn't it? He's the only supernatural creature I know of that has ever scared you."

"You don't know me." Katherine scoffed.

"Oh." Alaric had eliminated all the possibilities and arrived at one conclusion. That conclusion chilled him to his very soul. "You were stealing her blood."

Katherine's face whitened and a brief moment of terror slipped through her mask of condescension.

"You were stealing her blood for Klaus. He's trying to make hybrids again. Audrey gave you the perfect cover: no one would suspect you if all the focus was on her." Fear surged through Alaric. As much as he disliked Katherine, Klaus frightened him far more. Klaus _and_ a hybrid army? Utterly terrifying. A werewolf had never bitten him, so he didn't know the extent of his weakness to the species, but he didn't care to test it. He'd met Klaus once that he could remember, and the way he looked at his sister and mother was like a hungry wolf that had been starved for far too long.

"You're way off base."

"No, I'm not." Alaric grimaced, never more sure of himself. He knew what this meant. The truce was over. As for Aunt Caroline…. Klaus had betrayed her trust.

* * *

**Thank you for all the constructive criticism and support! Special thanks to ****AnglcDmn1986****, ****The Last Ronin, and ****AlanaLE for their extensive reviews. If you haven't gotten a PM from me, it's on its way. Thank you again!**


	28. Power

Damon stroked Elena's hair as she fell asleep on his lap. They got home late, and then she stayed up most of the night editing part of her novel, so she was exhausted today. He examined her beautiful face, resting peacefully, and felt a surge of tenderness. He hadn't told her what Alaric said on the phone yet, but he knew he had to. He wanted her to have one last nap, one last moment of peace and rest, before he sent her into a constant state of alarm.

Klaus was after doppelganger blood again.

_What am I going to do with Olivia?  
_He wanted nothing more than to lock her up in the house until he could figure out how to deal with Klaus, but Olivia was restless and impulsive and even if he tied her down she would find a way out. She had been fearless since she was little and adolescence had only accentuated that particular trait. As a person, he respected that part of her. As a father, he hated it.

_Speaking of…_ he heard Olivia shuffle down the hallway from her room, dressed for school.

"Hey dad!" She yawned. "What's the news from Alaric and the witch?"

Elena sat up with a jerk, looking around in a confused, sleepy state. Damon smoothed the stray hair from her face and pulled her into his chest. Elena yawned and rubbed her eyes.

"Come into the living room, we need to talk."

"Nice hair, mom." Olivia giggled. Elena smoothed down the top of her head, embarrassed. Damon shot Olivia a warning look and she smiled apologetically at Elena. She sat down on the floor on the opposite side of the coffee table from them.

"Your brother called this morning." Damon began.

"Katherine's still in her cage." Elena checked her phone. "As of one hour ago."

"You aren't really having him text you every hour to tell you that?" Olivia asked.

"Of course I am." Elena frowned. Olivia was quiet as she exchanged a look with Damon.

"We may have a bigger problem." Damon said quietly. "Alaric thinks Katherine helped kidnap you to steal your blood."

Olivia sat back, stunned. Elena tensed in his arms, and he searched her face. Slow dread crept into her eyes.

* * *

Alaric sat in the kitchen, munching on his eggs and toast when Audrey walked into the room.

"Morning."

"Morning." Alaric smiled.

Audrey smiled back nervously, then scooped some eggs and toast onto her plate.

"So." Alaric began, "What should we do today?"

"Well, I need to visit the witch massacre site." Audrey chewed on her breakfast thoughtfully.

"Why?"

Her eyes flicked away from him as she said,

"They help me control my powers, I told you that."

"Yes, but what do they do? Put a spell on you or something?"

"I meditate and they wrap a containment spell around me. After that, I usually don't have any problems for a while."

"So how often do you visit?" Alaric asked. She was too squirrely on the subject; he knew she was hiding something, he just didn't know what.

"Every other day, sometimes more."

"That sounds exhausting."

"That's why I'm so jealous that you only have problems once a month."

Alaric grinned.

"Well, my sister has problems twice a month."

Audrey choked on her eggs, not expecting the joke. Alaric laughed as she started to cough.

"Sorry. You ok?"

"Fine." She gulped down air.

"Do you go to school?" Alaric asked once she had recovered.

She couldn't look at him again.

"No."

Alaric paused.

"Well, no wonder you had time to stalk my family. Why not?"

She shrugged.

"You should really be in school. I'm pretty sure that's illegal, actually."

Audrey glared at him.

"You're so concerned with human laws. We live in a supernatural world, I hardly think human laws apply."

"As a witch, you're more human than I am." Alaric frowned. "Besides, we live in the human world too. We should follow their laws." Alaric watched her roll her eyes and refocus on her eggs, "I guess that shouldn't surprise me."

"Considering?" Audrey raised an eyebrow.

"Well, let's see, you kidnapped three kids and kept them in an underground tunnel-"

"It was the old Lockwood werewolf cellar. Tyler let me use it. Remember him? He wants to see you, by the way." She cut him off, obviously wanting to change the subject.

"Really?" Alaric put his fork down, amused. "What did you tell him you were using it for?"

Audrey looked down guiltily.

"Spells and stuff."

"That's what I thought. Lying and kidnapping and dropping out of school- you're a regular delinquent." Alaric pondered her quietly for a few moments. She was too young to screw up her life. His gaze made her self-conscious again, however, and she soon put a stop to it.

"What?"

"You need to go back to school." Alaric shook his head and forked another bite of eggs into his mouth.

She bristled.

"You're not in charge of me."

"No, but you should go back. You'll have a better chance of getting a job you like that pays well. Don't you have something you want to do?"

"Look, I don't need you parenting me. You're not even three years older than me!" Audrey picked up her plate and stalked from the room.

Alaric smiled to himself. _Teenage girls._

* * *

A scream pulled Alaric from his room. He sped down the stairs, his worst fear fueling his speed, and sure enough-

Katherine's hands were free and one was wrapped around Audrey's neck. She looked awful, but her wrists were quickly healing.

"Call the witch or I'll snap her neck."

"Audrey, what did you do?" Alaric growled.

"I- she said-"

"Call. Now." Katherine's hand tightened on Audrey's neck, cutting off the witch's halting explanation.

Alaric slowly reached into his pocket for his phone, trying to think of another way out of the situation and coming up with nothing.

"Alright."

"Tell them Elijah's here to pick me up." Katherine insisted. Audrey swallowed hard.

"Fine." Alaric said quietly.

Alaric listened to the phone ring with dread.

"Rose, Elijah's here. Lower the spell."

"Ok, can I talk to him?" Rose asked.

"No, he's busy."

"Sorry, Alaric, Elena and Damon said not to lower the spell until I heard Elijah's voice."

Alaric raised an eyebrow at Katherine and she, in turn, tightened her hold on Audrey's neck. The witch sputtered but no sound came out and her eyes grew round with panic. She couldn't breathe.

"Rose, lower it now." Alaric said quickly.

"Is everything ok, Alaric?"

"Katherine has Audrey and she's going to kill her unless you lower it."

Rose drew a sharp breath.

"Ok."

Katherine relaxed her hold on Audrey and the girl drew frantic, ragged breaths. Alaric waited, his body tenser than it had ever been, listening to Rose chant on the other end of the phone.

"It's done."

Alaric hung up without another word.

Katherine pushed Audrey forward to the barrier of the room. She stepped over it, malicious glee lighting up her face. She tightened her hold on Audrey with a vicious jerk, lowering her glare on Alaric.

"I will kill her, right here and now, unless you call your parents and convince them to trade for Olivia. I promise I won't hurt Olivia, I only want to borrow her for a few days, but I will snap this girl's neck if you don't do it."

Alaric could barely breathe.

"I don't think they're going to agree to that." He couldn't look Audrey in the eye as he admitted this.

"Even if it means I kill her? I only want to borrow your sister, she won't be harmed."

"Still." Alaric choked on the word, terror rising in him. Olivia would consent to it, but Damon wouldn't believe Katherine meant her no harm, and he would never hand Olivia over to this maniac. His mother would likely agree, though she would feel far worse about Audrey's consequential death. Alaric looked at Audrey, and no apology could ever express how sorry he felt. Tears welled up in her eyes as she understood there was no way he could save her.

Katherine was about to shrug and snap the girl's neck out of spite when Audrey's pupils expanded to fill her entire eye with black. Some unseen, powerful force threw Katherine off of Audrey and into a wall. Black electricity sparked from Audrey's fingertips, and when she opened her mouth a horrible inhuman screech shattered Alaric's eardrums. The lights began to flicker, and a ferocious gust tore through the room, knocking cabinets open and blowing the decorative, heavy curtains every which way. Katherine was pinned to the wall by the force of the wind, and Alaric was blown clean off of his feet into a couch, which fell over with him and pinned him to the wall. A blinding pain in his abdomen and chest accompanied the sound of bones breaking. He couldn't breathe suddenly, a wet feeling clogging his airway and compounding the effects of the heavy pressure of the couch on his chest. The air was riddled with the sound of things smashing into walls over Audrey's blood-curdling scream. Alaric tried to push the couch off of him but only managed to move it to the side. He moved it off his injury enough that he felt himself start to heal. The couch provided some cover, at least, to the whirling objects in the room, which he could only hear from where he was trapped. He coughed up the blood that filled his airway, still unable to breathe.

Then the wind died down, the screaming stopped and the couch fell off of him. Alaric couldn't get enough air in his lungs to move, so he just kept coughing, waiting for whatever was wrong to heal completely.

"Alaric!" In the blackening, spinning world of no-air, he barely recognized Audrey's voice.

"Alaric, are you ok?" Frantic hands turned him over on the ground and fussed over his injuries. With a crunching sound that he suspected was his rib fusing back into place and out of his lung, the ability to breathe returned to him. He dragged blessed breath after breath into his lungs, fighting off the fuzzy black edges in his failing vision.

"Alaric!" She cried again, cradling his head in her arms. Her terrified expression came into focus slowly.

"I'm ok." He gasped, "Katherine?"

"Gone."

With that knowledge, Alaric took time to recover. Audrey inspected his upper body, touching his chest and arms and smoothing his hair back, all the while murmuring how sorry she was. He realized she was crying, hard.

"I panicked. I never meant to hurt you. Please get better." She murmured, pressing a kiss to the top of his head.

"That was your 'out of control' powers?" He asked, finally feeling well enough to sit up.

"Yes." She nodded, tears dripping off her cheeks.

"You forgot to mention that you make a lightning tornado that destroys everything within twenty feet." Alaric commented, surveying the completely wrecked room. He brushed some tears from her cheek. "That was an incredible amount of power. I've never even seen Bonnie do something like that. It's a good thing I'm practically indestructible."

"But I can't control it. It just destroys everything." Audrey confessed. "It killed my father." She whispered, her lip trembling. She didn't seem to believe her own words, but the moment she said it her eyes filled with tears and her shoulders began to quake with sobs. Alaric couldn't move he was so stunned. Her wail of raw pain brought him out of his state of shock, though, and he drew her into a tight hug.

* * *

Elena walked slowly up the walkway. Her mind was reeling, and her emotions tugged her in every direction.

She knocked on the door of the pale yellow house, admiring the flowers planted around the porch despite her troubling thoughts. Bonnie had the best garden she'd ever seen. It soothed her to work on it, she knew, and any time she was stressed she could find her out weeding her plants.

"Elena." Bonnie opened the door before she had a chance to knock, a smile on her lips. Elena smiled in relief and hugged her best friend. Dark circles were starting under Bonnie's eyes and her hair was swept back in a hasty ponytail. "Thank you for picking up Rose. I was out of my mind with worry."

"It was our pleasure. What you were doing sounded really important."

"Yeah, some vampire was mass producing other vampires to create a sort of gang for killing off witches in Massachusetts. I was just doing what I could to help get it under control."  
"Right, that." Elena grinned sheepishly. Honestly, she'd been so concerned with finding her children she hadn't been listening to Bonnie's original explanation.

"So Katherine's on the loose again?" Bonnie folded her arms and leaned against the doorframe. Elena sat down on the porch swing, enjoying the smell of the flowers all around her.

"And after doppelganger blood."

"You and Olivia. You think Klaus is masterminding it?"

"I called Caroline, and she didn't seem to think he could be behind it. I guess they're still in Paris. According to her, he hasn't even mentioned making hybrids in years. I think she's still a little insecure about it though, she didn't sound completely convinced of what she was saying. I mean, he's a thousand years old. People don't change that much that quickly. What would anyone else want with doppelganger blood? I hate to say it, but she may be too close to the situation to see clearly."

"Who else terrifies Katherine? She's 500 years old, she's pretty terrifying herself."

"Other than you?" Elena shrugged. "No idea. Maybe another Original." Elena bit her lip.

"You mean Kol."

"It's what I'm afraid of. Of all of them, he was the most impulsive and unpredictable. But what would he want with doppelganger blood? Klaus is the only one who has use for it."

Bonnie pushed off from the doorframe, planting her feet firmly. Glee sparked in her eyes.

"Well, let's stop guessing and smoke them out. I'm done playing their games, and if that bastard's back to his old ways, Caroline should know about it as soon as possible."

* * *

**Here's the deal: it's illegal for Alaric and Audrey to get down and dirty in Virginia (it's illegal to have sex with a 13-15 year old if you are older but under 18), where Mystic Falls is, but not in California (if one of the party is under 18 and there is more than a 3 year difference it's illegal, but they aren't quite 3 years apart), where Alaric usually lives. I'm not yet sure whether I agree with Alaric or Audrey on whether human laws apply to supernatural creatures :P. Thank you for the reviews! **


End file.
